[0:32] Secretary will call the roll.

[0:34] allen. Alvarado. Gil. Archuleta.

[0:37] aragon. Ashby. Becker. Blake.

[0:39] spear. Cabaldon. Caballero.

[0:42] cervantes. Choi. Cortez. Dawley.

[0:46] durazo. Gonzalez. Grayson.

[0:48] grove. Hurtado. Jones. Laird.

[0:52] limon. Mcguire. Mcnerney.

[0:55] mengibar. Nilo. Ochoa. Bogh.

[0:58] padilla. Perez. Reyes.

[1:01] richardson. Rubio. Salato.

[1:03] smallwood. Cuevas. Stern.

[1:05] strickland. Umberg. Balderas.

[1:07] wahab. Webber. Pearson. Wiener.

[1:11] a quorum is present with the

[1:14] members and our guests. Be on

[1:15] the rail and in the gallery.

[1:16] please rise. We will be led in

[1:19] prayer this morning by our

[1:20] guest, chaplain, reverend jason

[1:22] vince. After which, please

[1:24] remain standing for the pledge

[1:25] of allegiance to the flag

[1:27] chaplain. Let us pray. From the

[1:35] cowardice that dares not face

[1:37] new truth, from the laziness

[1:41] that is contented with half

[1:43] truth, from the arrogance that

[1:45] thinks it knows all truth. Good

[1:48] lord, deliver us. Grant us,

[1:50] dear god, in all our duties,

[1:53] your help in all our

[1:56] uncertainties, your guidance in

[1:59] all our dangers, your

[2:01] protection, and in all our

[2:05] sorrows your peace. Namaste.

[2:09] thanks be to god. Amen. Please

[2:14] join me in the pledge of

[2:16] allegiance to the flag. I

[2:17] pledge allegiance to the united

[2:21] states of america and to the

[2:23] republic for which it stands.

[2:24] one nation under god,

[2:27] indivisible, with liberty and

[2:29] justice for all.

[3:06] under

[3:06] privileges of the floor. We do

[3:07] have some guests to be

[3:09] introduced. Senator cervantes,

[3:11] you are recognized from the

[3:13] majority leader's desk. Thank

[3:15] you so much, mr. President.

[3:17] today I rise to recognize an

[3:19] extraordinary public agency in

[3:20] the 31st senate district as it

[3:23] celebrates a milestone of 70

[3:26] years. The community service

[3:30] district again marks its 70

[3:32] year anniversary. Community

[3:36] service district has done the

[3:37] hard work to provide essential

[3:39] services to our communities.

[3:40] since its formation in 1965,

[3:44] the service district has grown

[3:45] from a small local agency

[3:47] created to wastewater needs

[3:49] into california's premier

[3:51] public agency, serving more

[3:53] than 135 000 residents in our

[3:56] communities throughout eastvale

[3:58] and valley. Every single day,

[4:01] jc delivers the essential

[4:03] services that working families

[4:04] and small businesses depend on,

[4:06] from providing safe, reliable

[4:08] drinking water and wastewater

[4:10] services, operating

[4:11] streetlights, maintaining

[4:14] neighborhoods, parks jc helps

[4:16] improve the quality of life in

[4:18] the communities that I

[4:19] represent. None of this would

[4:20] be possible without jc s board

[4:23] of directors and the dedicated

[4:24] employees who work every day,

[4:26] often behind the scenes, to

[4:28] keep the services that our

[4:29] communities depend on. I am

[4:31] pleased to welcome today jc s

[4:34] director director mark nø, and

[4:38] members of jc executive

[4:40] management team who have joined

[4:41] us on the senate floor on

[4:43] behalf of the california state

[4:45] senate. It is my honor to

[4:46] congratulate the community

[4:48] service district on 70 years of

[4:50] outstanding public service

[4:52] members. If you can, please

[4:53] help me welcome and

[4:54] congratulate them. Thank you.

[5:40] members. Without objection,

[5:41] we'll now move to senate third

[5:42] reading to take up file item 35,

[5:45] scr 186 by senator greyson

[5:47] clerk will read. Secretary will

[5:49] read. Senate concurrent

[5:51] resolution 186 by senator

[5:52] greyson. Relative to thriving

[5:53] families. California foundation.

[5:55] senator greyson at the majority

[5:56] leader's desk. Thank you, mr.

[5:57] president. I am honored to

[5:59] present scr 186 recognizing

[6:01] thriving families, california

[6:04] foundation for their upcoming

[6:06] 50th year anniversary. For five

[6:09] decades, community based

[6:10] organizations across california

[6:12] have played an essential role

[6:13] in being in helping families

[6:16] access affordable, reliable,

[6:18] and high quality child care and

[6:21] early learning services. This

[6:22] all began in 1976, when

[6:25] california took an important

[6:27] step toward expanding child

[6:28] care through community based

[6:30] solutions, and that recognize

[6:32] that every family has different

[6:34] needs. That vision helped

[6:36] establish alternative payment

[6:38] programs and a statewide

[6:40] network of organizations

[6:41] committed to parental choice,

[6:43] family stability, and the

[6:44] healthy development of children.

[6:47] as of today, that network

[6:48] reaches families in all 58

[6:51] counties and supports more than.

[6:53] are you ready? 260,000 children

[6:56] through california's

[6:58] alternative payment and

[6:59] calworks child care programs.

[7:01] these organizations do much

[7:02] more than just provide child

[7:03] care. They help parents remain

[7:05] in the workforce, pursue their

[7:07] education and training, and

[7:08] build a stronger future for

[7:10] their families. In turn, they

[7:12] contribute to the strength and

[7:14] economic vitality of

[7:15] communities across our state.

[7:17] the thriving families

[7:18] california foundation has been

[7:20] an important statewide voice in

[7:23] that effort through

[7:25] collaboration, advocacy,

[7:26] education, and leadership, the

[7:28] foundation has worked to

[7:29] strengthen california's child

[7:30] care system and ensure that

[7:32] public investments effectively

[7:34] reach children and families.

[7:37] its work reflects an important

[7:39] principle that child care is

[7:40] not simply service for families,

[7:42] it is essential infrastructure

[7:44] that supports parents, children,

[7:46] our workforce and our economy.

[7:48] and as we look forward to the

[7:51] foundation's 50th anniversary,

[7:52] we recognize five decades of

[7:54] partnership, innovation,

[7:55] leadership and service to

[7:57] california families, friends

[7:58] and colleagues. Thank you for

[7:59] your attention today and the

[8:02] recognition of thriving

[8:03] families. California foundation.

[8:05] I respectfully ask for an aye

[8:07] vote. Seeing no further

[8:09] senators desiring to be

[8:11] recognized. Secretary, please

[8:12] call the roll. Alan alvarado,

[8:14] gill. Archuleta. Aye. Origin.

[8:18] aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[8:21] blake. Spear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[8:23] aye. Caballero. Cervantes. Aye.

[8:27] choi. Aye. Cortez. I I durazo.

[8:31] aye. Gonzalez. Aye. Grayson.

[8:34] aye. Grove. I hurtado. Aye.

[8:37] jones. Aye. Laird. Limón.

[8:43] mcguire. Aye. Mcnerney. Aye.

[8:46] mengibar. Nilo. Aye. Ochoa. Aye.

[8:52] padilla. Aye. Perez. Reyes.

[8:56] richardson. Aye. Rubio. Aye

[9:01] cierto aye. Smallwood. Cuevas.

[9:03] aye stern aye. Strickland. Aye

[9:06] umberg. Valladares. Aye wahab

[9:10] aye. Webber. Pearson wiener.

[9:13] aye. Absent members. Alvarado.

[9:15] gil. Caballero. Laird. Limon

[9:25] mengibar. Perez. Reyes umberg.

[9:31] webber. Pearson. Call the

[9:36] absent members one more time.

[9:39] alvarado. Gil. Caballero. Laird.

[9:43] limon. Mengibar. Perez. Reyes.

[9:49] umberg. Webber. Pearson.

[10:20] secretary. Please call the

[10:21] absent members. Alvarado. Gil.

[10:24] caballero. Laird. Aye. Limón.

[10:28] mengibar. Aye. Perez. Reyes.

[10:33] umberg. Amburgey. Webber.

[10:37] pearson. Call the absent

[10:40] members. Alvarado. Gil.

[10:44] caballero. Aye. Limon. Perez.

[10:49] reyes. Weber. Pearson. Limon.

[11:02] age 36. Nø zero. The resolution

[11:04] is adopted. Senator grayson,

[11:05] for introduction of guests.

[11:06] thank you so much. Mr.

[11:07] president. I would like to

[11:09] introduce the incredible folks

[11:10] from thriving families

[11:12] california foundation. I am

[11:13] pleased to have with us on the

[11:15] floor today, ceo deneen

[11:18] micheletti, government affairs

[11:19] director mackenzie richardson

[11:21] and communications and

[11:23] government affairs manager

[11:24] adelia watson. We are grateful

[11:26] for all of our guests here

[11:28] today and for the strength,

[11:30] advocacy and community that

[11:31] they represent and give to our

[11:34] communities. Senators, please

[11:36] help me welcome them to the

[11:37] floor. Welcome to senator

[11:43] grayson's guests.

[12:01] all right.

[12:01] continuing with senate third

[12:02] reading, we will now proceed to

[12:04] file item 45, sr 126 by senator

[12:07] rubio. Secretary, please read

[12:08] senate resolution 126 by

[12:10] senator rubio relative to

[12:11] childhood cancer awareness

[12:13] month. Senator rubio at the

[12:16] majority leader's desk. Thank

[12:19] you, mr. President. Ladies and

[12:21] gentlemen of the senate, I rise

[12:24] today with great pleasure to

[12:26] present sr 126, which

[12:29] designates the month of

[12:31] september 2026 as childhood

[12:32] cancer awareness month here in

[12:34] the beautiful state of

[12:35] california, according to the

[12:37] national cancer institute,

[12:39] childhood cancer is the leading

[12:40] cause of death by disease for

[12:42] children in the united states.

[12:44] every child deserves a chance

[12:45] to grow up and live a long,

[12:47] healthy life. Childhood cancer

[12:50] provides an unimaginable burden

[12:52] not just to the children

[12:54] inflicted, but all the families

[12:56] that love them, as well as many

[12:58] local hospitals cannot

[13:00] adequately, adequately treat

[13:02] children with cancer. Families

[13:04] are forced to relocate or

[13:05] travel long distance for life

[13:07] saving care. My guests here

[13:09] today, misha mehta and ryan

[13:12] coletti and sava savona. Shauna

[13:16] días know the struggle very

[13:18] well. Tragically, misha's lost

[13:21] her son, ryan's brother neve

[13:25] koltai pronounced. At only six

[13:30] years old to brain cancer. Sara

[13:33] also is a parent to a brain

[13:35] cancer angel neves mother and

[13:38] family have spent years

[13:39] building something out of that

[13:41] tragic loss. The neve colt

[13:44] foundation that continues to

[13:45] push for better research,

[13:47] better understanding funding

[13:49] and better outcomes for those

[13:51] children affected by cancer. It

[13:54] is critical that we continue

[13:56] raising awareness for this

[13:58] devastating illness and

[13:59] encourage further funding

[14:00] towards life saving research

[14:02] and treatments. I respectfully

[14:04] ask for your vote. Thank you.

[14:06] thank you, senator. Senator,

[14:07] you are recognized. Thank you,

[14:09] mr. President. I also rise

[14:10] today in support of sr 126,

[14:14] recognizing september as

[14:15] childhood cancer awareness

[14:16] month. And I want to thank the

[14:17] senator from baldwin park for

[14:19] introducing this important

[14:21] resolution, finding out that

[14:23] your child has been diagnosed

[14:24] with cancer has to be one of

[14:26] the most heartbreaking things a

[14:28] parent can go through. But it's

[14:29] important to acknowledge that

[14:30] children and their families are

[14:32] not alone in this fight. Across

[14:34] the state, we are fortunate to

[14:36] have some of the world's

[14:37] premier institutions that

[14:39] tirelessly work every single

[14:40] day to advance new cancer

[14:42] treatments, and ultimately, one

[14:44] day, a cure. I want to

[14:46] highlight the incredible work

[14:47] that health care workers at

[14:49] child and college awards in my

[14:50] district in the east bay have

[14:52] done to support patients,

[14:54] including at kaiser permanente

[14:56] oakland and at ucsf benioff

[14:57] children's hospital in oakland,

[15:00] and just want to thank these

[15:01] health care workers who give

[15:03] families hope during some of

[15:04] the darkest moments in their

[15:05] lives. I want to thank

[15:07] california's voters for funding

[15:08] the california institute for

[15:10] regenerative medicine through

[15:11] the passage of prop one, prop

[15:13] 71, in 2004 and its renewal

[15:16] through prop 14 in 2020.

[15:19] medical advancements over the

[15:20] last couple of decades have

[15:23] significantly improved outcomes.

[15:24] yet we know that there's still

[15:26] more work to do, and this

[15:27] resolution highlights the

[15:28] importance of working together

[15:30] to find solutions that help

[15:32] children overcome this

[15:34] devastating disease. I

[15:35] respectfully ask for an aye

[15:36] vote. Senator choi, you are

[15:39] recognized. Good morning,

[15:42] president and members. I rise

[15:45] in support of scr 126,

[15:49] recognizing september as

[15:51] childhood cancer awareness

[15:54] month. About 10,000 to 12,000

[15:57] children are diagnosed with

[16:00] cancer each year in the united

[16:02] states, compared with the

[16:05] cancer in adults. Many

[16:08] diagnostic diagnostic cancers

[16:10] are more successfully.

[16:13] pediatric cancers are more

[16:15] successfully treated thanks to

[16:17] the work of dedicated oncology

[16:21] professionals, children's

[16:25] hospital of orange county in my

[16:27] district has been committed to

[16:29] treating childhood cancer for

[16:31] the past 23 years. There are so

[16:36] many other medical centers in

[16:39] my district, such as the city

[16:40] of hope or uci and kaiser. They

[16:44] are all dedicated for treating

[16:47] all forms of cancers. They

[16:51] continue to provide innovative

[16:54] and exceptional care to

[16:57] patients, and I join my

[17:00] colleague from baldwin park in

[17:04] supporting their efforts to

[17:06] spread awareness of childhood

[17:09] cancer and provide support to

[17:11] the families affected. I

[17:15] respectfully ask for your vote,

[17:17] senator grove. You are

[17:19] recognized. Thank you. I too

[17:20] rise in support of scr 126 and

[17:23] thank my colleague from baldwin

[17:24] park for introducing this. My

[17:27] husband worked. Some of you

[17:28] guys met last night, worked for

[17:30] a company for 20 years, and the

[17:33] owner of the company's daughter

[17:34] got cancer when she was just in

[17:35] her sixth grade year. And she

[17:38] loved family, friends,

[17:40] horseback riding. She liked to

[17:42] shop, travel. And I say all

[17:44] that just to say that cancer is

[17:45] not discriminatory. Like, it

[17:48] doesn't matter what color your

[17:49] skin is, how much money you

[17:50] have or don't have. And I can

[17:53] tell you that this family

[17:54] traveled all over the world in

[17:55] different countries to try to

[17:57] try things that were not

[17:59] authorized here in the united

[18:00] states to save lauren's life.

[18:03] and I think there's things that

[18:04] we could learn from other

[18:06] countries. And I think that

[18:07] there's things that we could

[18:08] adopt in other countries, from

[18:09] other countries that would help

[18:11] save children's lives, just

[18:12] like lauren and the ones that

[18:14] were represented today by my

[18:15] colleague from baldwin park.

[18:16] and I respectfully ask for an

[18:18] aye vote. Thank you. Senator,

[18:20] seeing no other senators to be

[18:22] recognized, senator rubio,

[18:23] would you like to close? Thank

[18:25] you, mr. President. And I know

[18:26] so many family members here on

[18:28] this floor, members who have

[18:31] either sons, wives. There's a

[18:33] lot that wasn't said here, but

[18:35] I know based on the personal

[18:37] stories that they've told me.

[18:38] but I also want to make sure

[18:40] that we recognize that there's

[18:42] a lot of research, a lot of

[18:43] funding for adult cancer, but

[18:45] still, we are falling short in

[18:49] recognizing that it's affecting

[18:50] children more and more often.

[18:51] and I want to pass this

[18:53] resolution also on behalf of

[18:54] andrew hirschman, who is my

[18:56] best friend's son, who passed a

[18:58] few years back, who was a high

[18:59] school student athlete.

[19:02] beautiful boy, always very

[19:05] healthy. And in one week he was

[19:08] gone. So I hope that we can all

[19:10] recognize here today that we

[19:11] have to do more for childhood

[19:13] cancer research and push for

[19:14] more funding. With that, I ask

[19:15] for a vote. Thank you, thank

[19:17] you. Secretary, please call

[19:18] roll. Alan alvarado, gill.

[19:21] archuleta. Aragon. Aye. Ashby.

[19:24] aye. Becker. Aye. Blake. Spear.

[19:27] aye. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero.

[19:31] aye. Cervantes. Aye. Choi. Aye.

[19:35] cortez. Aye. Tally, aye.

[19:38] durazzo. Aye. Gonzalez. Aye.

[19:40] grayson. Aye. Grove. Aye.

[19:43] hurtado. Aye. Jones. Aye. Laird.

[19:46] aye. Limón. Mcguire. Aye.

[19:51] mcnerney. Aye. Mengibar. Aye.

[19:53] nilo. Aye. Ochoa. Borg. Aye.

[19:57] padilla. Aye. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

[20:01] richardson. Aye. Rubio. Acierto.

[20:06] aye. Smallwood. Cuevas. Aye.

[20:08] stern. Aye. Strickland. Aye

[20:10] umberg. Aye. Valladares. Aye

[20:13] wahab aye. Webber. Pierson.

[20:16] wiener. Aye. Absent members.

[20:34] allen. Aye. Alvarado. Gil.

[20:38] limon. Reyes. Weber. Pierson.

[20:42] ayes 36 no zero. The resolution

[20:45] passes. Members. We are moving

[20:46] back to privileges of the floor

[20:47] for introduction of guests.

[20:49] senator rubio, you are

[20:50] recognized that the majority

[20:51] leader's desk for the

[20:53] introduction of your guests.

[20:54] thank you, mr. President. Today

[20:55] I do have the honor of

[20:57] introducing three warriors I

[21:00] have here, mr. Mayor ray and

[21:02] coltea sava. Shannon rogers, a

[21:05] three incredible individuals

[21:07] who have been fighting in the

[21:09] memory of their children who

[21:11] they've lost to, to cancer. And

[21:13] I want to just make sure that

[21:15] we acknowledge them and

[21:16] recognize them here on the

[21:18] floor. Thank you.

[21:51] messages from

[21:51] the governor will be deemed

[21:53] read. Messages from the

[21:54] assembly will be deemed read.

[21:55] reports of committees will be

[21:57] deemed read and amendments

[21:59] adopted under motions,

[22:00] resolutions and notices. This

[22:02] is a time for members to remove

[22:04] items from the consent calendar.

[22:06] senator durazzo, you are

[22:08] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[22:09] president. I rise for the

[22:10] purpose of moving a b 2188 to

[22:13] the inactive file. The desk

[22:16] will note senator blake spear,

[22:18] you are recognized. Thank you,

[22:20] mr. President and colleagues, I

[22:21] rise to request file item

[22:23] number 321 is pulled from the

[22:25] consent calendar for the

[22:26] purposes of author amendments.

[22:28] thank you. Desk will note.

[22:30] senator rubio, you are

[22:31] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[22:33] president. At the request of

[22:34] the author, please remove file

[22:35] item 319, bill a b 2536 by

[22:39] assembly member rubio and file

[22:41] item 323ab2644 by assembly

[22:45] member rubio from the consent

[22:47] calendar. The desk will note.

[22:49] senator laird, you are

[22:50] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[22:51] president. At the request of

[22:52] the author, please move the

[22:54] following budget bills to the

[22:56] inactive file items 82 through

[23:00] 85. Assembly bills one, ten,

[23:02] one, 22, one, 25 and 177. And

[23:09] and I have additional, which is

[23:12] to file items 126 through 138

[23:18] to move as budget bills to the

[23:20] inactive file, and that's a b

[23:29] 111135163164165166168, 169,

[23:32] 17171, 172, 174 and 180. Thank

[23:38] you so very much, senator laird,

[23:40] for that small little list of

[23:41] requests. The desk will note.

[23:43] senator ashby, you are

[23:44] recognized from senator reyes

[23:46] desk. Thank you, presiding

[23:48] officer. I would like to move

[23:50] file item number 314ab2429, as

[23:55] well as file item number 291,

[23:57] which is a b 1811, both from

[24:00] consent for the purpose of

[24:02] amendments at the request of

[24:03] the authors. Thank you senator.

[24:05] the desk will note. Senator

[24:06] becker, you are recognized.

[24:08] thank you, mr. President.

[24:09] please remove ab 2787, file

[24:13] number 328 from the consent

[24:15] calendar for purposes of

[24:16] amendment. And please remove ab

[24:21] 1696 file item number 287 from

[24:23] the consent calendar. For

[24:24] purposes of amendment, the desk

[24:25] will note. Thank you, senator.

[24:27] senator perez, you are

[24:28] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[24:30] president. At the request of

[24:31] the author, please move file

[24:33] item 290ab2467 from the consent

[24:37] calendar to the inactive file.

[24:39] thank you. Senator. Senator s¼,

[24:41] you are recognized. Thank you,

[24:42] mr. President. At the request

[24:44] of the authors, I would like to

[24:45] remove ab 2118 and ab 2744 from

[24:50] the consent calendar for

[24:52] purposes of amending. The desk

[24:53] will note. Senator, you're

[24:55] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[24:56] president. I rise to request

[24:57] that file item 318 ab 2502 be

[25:00] removed from the consent

[25:02] calendar for the purpose of

[25:03] authors amendments. Thank you.

[25:04] senator. Senator desk will note.

[25:07] senator valdez, you are

[25:08] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[25:10] president. At the request of

[25:11] the author, please remove file

[25:12] item 320 ab 2542 from the

[25:16] consent calendar. Thank you for

[25:17] your patience and desk will

[25:19] note. Members, we are moving

[25:28] back to privileges of the floor.

[25:30] without objection, we do have

[25:31] another introduction of guest.

[25:34] senator cortez, you are

[25:36] recognized from the majority

[25:37] leader's desk. Thank you, mr.

[25:40] president and colleagues, I

[25:41] rise today to welcome

[25:43] representatives of the jain

[25:44] center of northern california

[25:45] and the federation of jain

[25:47] associations in north america.

[25:49] that association is known as

[25:50] jaina, based in milpitas in

[25:54] santa clara county. The jain

[25:58] center serves families

[25:58] throughout the bay area,

[25:59] including communities in senate

[26:01] district 15, and is a founding

[26:02] member of jaina, which

[26:04] represents jain centers across

[26:05] the united states and canada.

[26:07] their visit recognizes the

[26:10] international day of

[26:11] nonviolence and the jain

[26:12] principle of ahimsa. This

[26:15] commitment to nonviolence is

[26:16] reflected in jain teachings on

[26:18] compassion, ethical living,

[26:20] environmental stewardship,

[26:21] animal welfare, and respects

[26:24] and respect for all life.

[26:27] although the jains work very,

[26:29] very much on an individual and

[26:31] a congregational basis in terms

[26:33] of this concept of ahimsa and

[26:36] nonviolence, they have also

[26:37] been global leaders with a

[26:39] belief that there won't be

[26:41] peace in the world until

[26:42] there's peace among the world's

[26:45] religions. Members, please join

[26:47] me in welcoming representatives

[26:48] of the jain center of northern

[26:50] california and jaina to the

[26:52] california state senate. So

[26:54] here we have with us today prem

[26:57] jain, past president atul shah,

[27:00] president yogesh bapna, west

[27:02] regional vice president. Doctor

[27:04] jayesh shah, first vice

[27:06] president aj bhutoria, a

[27:08] community leader, and I should

[27:11] add, not just locally, but

[27:14] statewide and nationally as

[27:15] well. And baron shah, treasurer

[27:18] of the organization. In

[27:19] addition, I understand there

[27:21] are more than two dozen

[27:23] additional members in the

[27:24] gallery today. Please join me

[27:27] as they have now come over from

[27:28] the california state assembly.

[27:29] as you can see from the

[27:31] proclamation, please join me in

[27:33] giving them a big welcome.

[27:34] thank you. Welcome to the state

[27:37] senate. Up in the gallery.

[28:05] if

[28:05] other senators would like to

[28:07] join here in just one moment.

[28:09] yes. Other senators, if you'd

[28:10] like to join in a group photo.

[29:21] and members, we also have a

[29:22] very special special guest with

[29:24] us today on the floor, we have

[29:27] senator rosa's son, michael,

[29:30] accompanying her today at her

[29:31] desk. Let's welcome him to the

[29:33] california state senate.

[29:41] members. Without objection, we

[29:42] are moving to the consideration

[29:43] of the daily file secretary for

[29:46] second reading of the file.

[29:47] secretary, please read senate

[29:48] bill 19032308 2010 2025 2107

[29:52] second reading file is deemed

[29:53] read governor's appointments.

[29:55] we do have several items item

[29:57] six, eight, nine, ten, 11, and

[29:59] 23. Senator grove, you are

[30:01] recognized for item number six.

[30:03] thank you, mr. President.

[30:05] colleagues, like the president

[30:06] said, we have six items. I'll

[30:07] try to get through them very

[30:08] quickly. The first item we

[30:10] should all be interested in,

[30:11] it's a confirmation of daniel,

[30:13] aka danny curtin, for the

[30:15] reappointment to the california

[30:16] water commission, where he

[30:17] served since 2010. He's the

[30:19] director of the california

[30:20] conference of carpenters and

[30:21] also a consultant for the

[30:23] united brotherhood of

[30:24] carpenters and joiners of

[30:26] america. He was approved by the

[30:27] rules committee on a five zero

[30:29] vote on june 17th, and I

[30:31] respectfully ask for an aye

[30:32] vote, seeing no members to be

[30:35] recognized. Secretary, please

[30:37] call. Roll. Allen. Aye.

[30:39] alvarado. Gil. Archuleta.

[30:41] aragon. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[30:45] blake. Spear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[30:47] caballero. Aye. Cervantes. Aye.

[30:50] choi. Aye. Cortez. I aye durazo.

[30:56] aye. Gonzalez. Aye. Grayson.

[30:58] aye. Grove. Aye. Hurtado. Aye.

[31:01] jones. Aye. Laird. Aye. Limón.

[31:06] mcguire. Aye. Mcnerney. Aye.

[31:08] mengibar. Aye. Nilo. Aye. Ochoa.

[31:11] b¢o. Aye. Padilla. Aye. Perez.

[31:14] aye. Reyes. Richardson. Aye.

[31:18] rubio. Acierto. Aye. Smallwood.

[31:21] cuevas. Aye. Stern. Aye.

[31:24] strickland. I umberg aye.

[31:27] valladares. Aye wahhab aye.

[31:29] webber. Pearson wiener. Aye.

[31:33] second secretary. Please call

[31:34] absent members. Alvarado. Gil

[31:38] cabaldon. Aye. Limón. Reyes.

[31:42] webber. Pearson. Ayes 36 noes

[31:46] zero. The appointment is

[31:48] confirmed. Moving to item eight.

[31:49] senator grove, you are

[31:50] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[31:51] president. Colleagues, file

[31:52] item eight is a confirmation of

[31:53] carolyn thomas jacobs as the

[31:55] director of california

[31:56] governor's office of emergency

[31:58] services. Before this

[31:59] leadership role, she was

[32:00] serving as the director of

[32:01] california's office of energy,

[32:03] infrastructure and safety.

[32:05] prior to that, she was the

[32:06] director of wildlife safety

[32:07] division in the public

[32:08] utilities commission, and she

[32:09] also previously served as a cal

[32:12] oes chief in response to the

[32:14] state threat assessment center,

[32:16] and she was approved by the

[32:17] rules committee on june 24th an

[32:21] unanimous vote. Respectfully

[32:22] ask for an aye vote. Seeing no

[32:24] further discussion, secretary,

[32:26] please call the roll. Allen.

[32:29] aye. Alvarado. Gill. Archuleta.

[32:32] aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[32:35] blake. Spear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[32:36] aye. Caballero. Aye. Cervantes.

[32:39] aye. Choi. Ortez. Aye. Daly.

[32:43] aye. Durazo. Aye. Gonzalez. Aye.

[32:47] grayson. Aye. Grove. Aye.

[32:49] hurtado. Aye. Jones. Laird. Aye.

[32:54] limón. Mcguire. Aye. Mcnerney.

[32:57] aye. Mengibar. Aye. Nilo. Aye.

[33:01] ochoa. Bog. Aye. Padilla. Aye.

[33:05] perez. Aye. Reyes. Richardson.

[33:08] aye. Rubio. Aye cierto a cuevas.

[33:13] aye stern. Aye. Strickland. Aye

[33:16] umberg. Aye. Valladares. Aye

[33:19] wahhab aye. Webber. Pearson

[33:21] wiener a secretary. Please call

[33:25] absent members. Alvarado. Gill.

[33:27] choi. Jones. Aye limón reyes.

[33:34] webber. Pearson. Ayes 35 no

[33:36] zero. The appointment is

[33:37] confirmed. Moving to item

[33:38] number nine. Senator grove, you

[33:40] are recognized. Thank you, mr.

[33:42] president. Colleagues, file

[33:43] item nine is a confirmation of

[33:44] jay bradshaw to the

[33:45] reappointment of california

[33:47] transportation commission. He

[33:48] first joined the commission in

[33:50] 2022 and is executive secretary

[33:52] treasurer for the north coast

[33:53] states regional council of

[33:55] carpenters. Carpenters are

[33:56] having a good day today. He was

[33:58] approved by the rules committee

[34:00] on june 24th on a unanimous

[34:02] vote, and I respectfully ask

[34:03] for your vote. Seeing no

[34:05] further discussion, secretary,

[34:07] please call the roll. Allen.

[34:09] alvarado. Gill. Archuleta.

[34:11] aragon. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[34:14] blake. Spear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[34:16] aye. Caballero. Aye. Cervantes.

[34:19] aye. Choi. Aye. Ortez. Aye.

[34:22] daily I durazo. Aye. Gonzalez.

[34:25] aye. Grayson. Aye. Grove. I.

[34:28] hurtado. Aye. Jones. Aye. Laird.

[34:31] aye. Limón. Mcguire. Aye.

[34:34] mcnerney. Aye. Mengibar. Aye.

[34:36] nilo. Aye. Ochoa. Bog. Aye.

[34:40] padilla. Aye. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

[34:44] richardson. Aye. Rubio. Aye.

[34:46] cierto. Aye. Smallwood. Cuevas.

[34:48] a stern aye. Strickland. Aye

[34:51] umberg. Aye. Valladares. Aye

[34:54] wahhab. Aye. Webber. Pearson.

[34:56] wiener aye. Ayes 36 noes zero.

[35:02] the appointment is confirmed.

[35:04] moving to item ten. Second

[35:06] senator grove, you are

[35:07] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[35:08] president. Colleagues, file

[35:09] item ten is a confirmation of

[35:11] caleb boyle's law for the

[35:14] reappointment of the central

[35:15] valley flood protection board,

[35:16] where she served since 2022.

[35:19] she's a former department of

[35:20] finance director, and she was a

[35:22] cabinet secretary for the

[35:23] office of governor brown. And

[35:25] she is also the former senate

[35:27] staff member. She served as a

[35:30] staff director for the senate

[35:31] budget and fiscal review

[35:32] committee, and she was approved

[35:33] by the rules committee on june

[35:35] 24th on a five zero vote. I

[35:38] respectfully ask for an aye

[35:39] vote. Seeing no further

[35:41] discussion, secretary. Please

[35:42] call. Roll. Allen. Aye.

[35:44] alvarado. Archuleta. Aye.

[35:46] origin. Aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker.

[35:49] aye. Blakespear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[35:51] aye. Caballero. Aye. Cervantes.

[35:54] aye. Choi. Aye. Cortez. Aye.

[35:57] delhi. Aye. Durazo. Aye.

[35:59] gonzalez. Aye. Grayson. Aye.

[36:02] grove. Aye. Hurtado. Aye. Jones.

[36:05] aye. Laird. Aye. Lehman.

[36:08] mcguire. Aye. Mcnerney. Aye.

[36:11] mengibar. Aye. Nilo. Aye. Ochoa.

[36:13] bogh. Aye. Padilla. Aye. Perez.

[36:17] aye. Reyes. Richardson. Aye.

[36:20] rubio. Aye. Segato. Aye.

[36:23] smallwood. Cuevas. Aye. Stern.

[36:25] aye. Strickland. Aye. Umberg.

[36:28] aye. Valladares. Aye. Wahhab.

[36:31] aye. Webber. Pearson. Wiener.

[36:36] aye. Ayes 36 nó zero. The

[36:38] appointment is confirmed.

[36:40] moving to item 11. Senator

[36:42] grove you are recognized. Thank

[36:44] you, mr. President. Colleagues

[36:45] we just have two more file.

[36:47] item 11 is a confirmation of

[36:48] monique moyer for reappointment

[36:50] to the board of directors of

[36:51] san francisco bay area water

[36:53] emergency transportation

[36:55] authority. She was. She served

[36:57] the. There since 2020 and is

[36:59] currently the board's vice

[37:00] chair. She also is an executive

[37:02] coach and partner with c2

[37:04] communications. She was

[37:05] approved by the rules committee

[37:06] on june 24th on a five zero

[37:09] vote. Respectfully ask for an

[37:10] aye vote. Seeing no further

[37:12] discussion, secretary. Please

[37:12] call. Roll. Allen. Aye.

[37:15] alvarado. Gill. Archuleta. Aye.

[37:17] origin. I ashby. Aye. Becker.

[37:20] aye. Blake. Spear. Aye.

[37:22] cabaldon. Aye. Caballero. Aye.

[37:24] cervantes. Choi. Aye. Cortez. I

[37:28] daily. Aye. Durazo. Aye.

[37:31] gonzalez. Aye. Grayson. Aye.

[37:33] grove. Aye. Hurtado. Aye. Jones.

[37:36] aye. Laird. Aye. Limón. Mcguire.

[37:40] aye. Mcnerney. Aye. Mengibar.

[37:43] aye. Neelo. Aye. Ochoa. Aye.

[37:46] padilla. Aye. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

[37:49] richardson. Aye. Rubio. Aye

[37:52] cierto aye. Smallwood. Cuevas.

[37:54] aye stern. Aye. Strickland. Aye

[37:58] umber. Aye valladares. Aye

[38:01] wahab aye. Webber. Pearson

[38:03] wiener aye. Cervantes. Aye.

[38:07] ayes 36 nó zero. The

[38:08] appointment is confirmed.

[38:09] moving to item 23. Senator

[38:11] grove you are recognized. Thank

[38:13] you, mr. President. File item

[38:15] 23 is andrea evans for

[38:18] appointment to the california

[38:19] state university board of

[38:20] trustees. Miss evans is an

[38:22] attorney and independent

[38:23] consultant focusing on housing

[38:24] and homelessness. She most

[38:26] recently was the director of

[38:27] san francisco based tipping

[38:29] point community chronic

[38:31] homeless initiative, and she

[38:32] was approved by the rules

[38:34] committee on june 20th or,

[38:35] excuse me, july 1st on a five

[38:37] zero vote. Respectfully ask for

[38:38] an aye vote. Thank you. Senator.

[38:40] seeing no further discussion.

[38:42] secretary, please call the roll.

[38:44] allen. Aye. Alvarado. Gill.

[38:46] archuleta. Aragon. Aye. Ashby.

[38:50] aye. Becker. Aye. Blakespear.

[38:52] aye. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero.

[38:55] aye. Cervantes. Aye. Choi. Aye.

[38:58] cortez. Daily. Aye. Durazo. Aye.

[39:04] gonzalez. Aye. Grayson. Aye.

[39:08] grove. Aye. Hurtado. Aye. Jones.

[39:13] aye. Laird. Aye. Limon. Mcguire.

[39:17] aye. Mcnerney. Aye. Mengibar.

[39:21] nilo. Aye aye. Padilla. Aye.

[39:25] perez. Aye. Reyes. Richardson.

[39:30] rubio. Aye cierto a smallwood.

[39:34] cuevas. Aye stern a strickland.

[39:37] aye umberg. Aye valladares.

[39:41] wahab aye. Webber. Pearson

[39:43] wiener secretary. Please call

[39:47] absent members. Alvarado. Gil

[39:48] cortez aye. Limon. Mengibar aye.

[39:54] reyes. Richardson. Aye.

[39:57] valladares. Aye. Webber.

[40:00] pearson. Ayes 36, nó zero. The

[40:03] appointment is confirmed.

[40:07] members. We do have another

[40:08] special guest with us in the

[40:10] back of the gallery. Senator

[40:12] rubio's niece, kristen

[40:14] rodriguez, recent graduate of

[40:15] long beach state. Let's welcome

[40:16] her to the california senate.

[40:25] without objection. Members, we

[40:26] are moving to unfinished

[40:28] business. Item 25 scr 89.

[40:33] senator smallwood cuevas, you

[40:36] are recognized from your þ

[40:38] secretary. Please read senate

[40:40] concurrent resolution 89 by

[40:41] senator smallwood cuevas.

[40:42] relative to diversity, equity

[40:43] and inclusion, this is back on

[40:45] concurrence for amendments

[40:48] purposes. Senator cuevas,

[40:49] smallwood, cuevas, you're

[40:50] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[40:53] president. One more, one moment.

[40:58] okay. Thank you, mr. President.

[41:00] and good morning, colleagues.

[41:03] senate concurrent resolution 89

[41:05] is back on concurrence. The

[41:07] resolution reaffirms california

[41:10] legislature's commitment to

[41:12] diversity, equity and inclusion.

[41:15] dei is foundational to the

[41:17] justice and fairness of every

[41:20] californian. Amendments taken

[41:21] in the assembly added 60

[41:25] additional coauthors. That kind

[41:28] of support reflects how

[41:30] seriously this body takes. The

[41:32] moment we're in today, we

[41:34] continue to see president

[41:35] donald trump and his

[41:37] administration actively

[41:39] dismantling diversity, equity

[41:41] and inclusion efforts across

[41:42] this country, most recently

[41:45] with an attack. Senator

[41:48] valladares. For what purpose?

[41:50] mr. President, your

[41:51] understanding that the

[41:52] amendments are just referring

[41:53] to the author, adding authors

[41:54] to the bill? Correct. Point

[41:57] well taken. Thank you, senator,

[41:59] if you'll stick with just the

[42:00] amendments. Will the amendments,

[42:03] the the the points speak to the

[42:06] fact that we had an

[42:07] overwhelming number of

[42:08] coauthors added. So so last

[42:12] month, one of in the midst of

[42:15] this this resolution moving

[42:18] forward, we have seen

[42:19] additional attacks on dei in

[42:22] particularly against the

[42:23] congressional black caucus as

[42:25] representative senator, with

[42:26] all with all due respect, it's

[42:27] just on the amendments for

[42:29] concurrence purposes. Okay.

[42:31] well, I will I think the point

[42:34] that we're making here is that

[42:36] scr 89 has been overwhelmingly

[42:38] supported by this legislature,

[42:40] and that is a declaration that

[42:43] california will not retreat,

[42:44] that we will not be divided,

[42:46] and we will not abandon our

[42:47] values that make us the

[42:49] strongest, most diverse economy

[42:51] in the nation. And with that, I

[42:53] respectfully ask for your vote.

[42:54] very good. Thank you. Senator,

[42:56] seeing no mike's raised for

[42:57] discussion or debate. Secretary,

[43:00] please call roll. Allen. Aye.

[43:03] alvarado. Gill. Archuleta. Aye

[43:06] aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[43:09] blake. Spear. Aye. Cabaldon.

[43:11] aye. Caballero. Aye. Cervantes.

[43:13] aye. Choi. Cortez. Aye. Deli.

[43:19] no. Durazzo. Aye. Gonzalez. Aye.

[43:22] grayson. Aye. Grove. Hurtado.

[43:27] aye. Jones. No. Laird. Aye.

[43:30] lehman. Mcguire. Aye. Mcnerney.

[43:34] aye. Mengibar. Aye. Nilo. No.

[43:37] ochoa. Bog. No. Padilla. Aye.

[43:41] perez. Aye. Reyes. Richardson.

[43:46] aye. Rubio. Aye. Cierto.

[43:49] smallwood. Cuevas. Aye. Stern.

[43:52] aye. Strickland. No. Umberg.

[43:55] aye. Valladares. No. Wahab. Aye.

[43:58] webber. Pearson. Wiener aye.

[44:04] limón. Aye. Secretary please

[44:10] call absent members. Alvarado.

[44:12] gil. Choi. No. Grove. Nó reyes

[44:19] cierto. Weber. Pearson. Ayes 28

[44:38] noes eight amendments are

[44:40] concurred in moving to senate.

[44:42] third reading item 37sr119.

[44:48] senator caballero, you are

[44:49] recognized. Secretary, please

[44:53] read senate resolution 119 by

[44:55] senator caballero relative to

[44:57] paleontology. Now, senator

[44:58] caballero, you're recognized.

[44:59] thank you, mr. President. I

[45:01] rise today to present sr 119, a

[45:04] resolution to commemorate the

[45:06] unique paleontological heritage

[45:08] of california and the

[45:09] importance of science to the

[45:11] understanding of our planet's

[45:12] history and paleontology. Over

[45:14] the course of its vast history,

[45:16] california has experienced

[45:17] everything from dry valleys in

[45:19] what is now the san francisco

[45:21] bay to inland seas filling the

[45:23] central valley and beyond.

[45:25] numerous plants and animals

[45:26] that are now extinct once

[45:28] roamed these ancient lands and

[45:29] seas, including mammoths, saber

[45:31] toothed tigers and dinosaurs.

[45:34] fossils are the physical

[45:36] evidence of prehistoric life.

[45:37] they can be found across

[45:39] california, from san francisco,

[45:42] monterey and los angeles to the

[45:43] central valley, inland empire

[45:45] and mount shasta region. We

[45:46] know about california's ancient

[45:49] life. Thanks to these fossils

[45:51] and the science of paleontology,

[45:53] which includes the study of

[45:55] fossils and what they tell us

[45:56] about the past ecology and

[45:59] evolution. It incorporates

[46:00] knowledge from biology, geology,

[46:03] ecology, and many other

[46:04] sciences. The science of

[46:06] paleontology has played a

[46:07] critical role in predicting

[46:09] future climate change,

[46:12] understanding the extent to

[46:13] which humans have impacted

[46:14] modern biodiversity, and

[46:17] contextualizing modern

[46:18] environmental challenges. It is

[46:20] also important for engaging

[46:22] students and the public as a

[46:24] gateway to science, serving as

[46:26] an incubator for an

[46:28] interdisciplinary stem

[46:30] workforce, this resolution

[46:32] celebrates the science of

[46:33] paleontology by describing

[46:35] california's ancient life

[46:37] across the state to include the

[46:39] large mammals from the pliocene

[46:43] era, the sharks and salmon from

[46:45] the miocene, the reptiles from

[46:47] the cretaceous, and the ancient

[46:49] reefs from the cambrian.

[46:52] cambrian. I hope you read the

[46:53] resolution and enjoyed learning

[46:54] about a few of the ancient

[46:56] animals that once roamed the

[46:58] lands around us. I want to

[46:59] close by highlighting why I

[47:01] authored this resolution beyond

[47:03] my personal fascination with

[47:05] the subject, and I have to tell

[47:07] you that when the. The mammoth

[47:09] was found in the central valley,

[47:12] that was an exciting find, and

[47:15] if you look over california,

[47:17] you can visit all of the

[47:19] museums and centers that have

[47:21] been set up to really see what

[47:24] used to live here in our in our

[47:26] state, science currently is

[47:28] under serious threat. The

[47:31] federal administration has

[47:33] canceled unprecedented billions

[47:35] in science grants, including

[47:36] grants from the national

[47:38] institute of health, the

[47:39] national science foundation,

[47:41] and. This past may, the white

[47:43] house office of management and

[47:44] budget proposed new. New

[47:46] changes to u.s. Federal grant

[47:48] regulations that would

[47:50] politicize the grant making

[47:51] process, giving political

[47:52] appointees appointees the

[47:54] ability to veto merit based

[47:56] grant awards and reduce funding

[47:58] for early career scientists,

[48:00] all of which benefit students

[48:02] in our state and our university

[48:05] system. Paleontology is one of

[48:07] many important sciences that is

[48:09] under serious threat. This

[48:11] resolution is both a

[48:12] celebration of california's

[48:15] paleontological heritage and a

[48:16] call to action to support

[48:18] critical sciences exactly like

[48:21] paleontology, and I urge your

[48:23] aye vote on sr 119. Thank you.

[48:25] senator. Seeing no. Mike's

[48:26] raised for discussion and

[48:27] debate. Secretary, please call

[48:29] roll. Alan. Alvarado. Gill.

[48:32] archuleta. Aye aye. Ashby. Aye.

[48:36] becker. Aye. Blake. Spear. Aye.

[48:39] cabaldon. Aye. Caballero. Aye.

[48:41] cervantes. Aye. Choi. Aye.

[48:44] cortez. Aye. Daily. Aye. Durazo.

[48:47] aye. Gonzalez. Aye. Grayson.

[48:50] aye. Grove. Aye. Hurtado. Aye.

[48:55] jones. Aye. Laird. Aye. Limón.

[49:00] maguire. Aye. Mcnerney. Aye.

[49:04] mengibar. Aye. Neila. Aye.

[49:06] ochoa. Borg. Aye. Padilla. Aye.

[49:10] perez. Aye. Reyes. Richardson.

[49:13] aye. Rubio. Aye cierto.

[49:17] smallwood. Cuevas. Stern. Aye.

[49:21] strickland. A umberg I

[49:24] valladares. Aye wahab aye.

[49:27] webber. Pierson. Wiener a

[49:32] secretary. Please call absent

[49:33] members. Allen aye. Alvarado.

[49:36] gill. Limon. Aye. Reyes. Cor.

[49:42] smallwood. Cuevas. Aye. Weber.

[49:45] pierson. Ayes 36 no zero. The

[49:48] resolution passes. Members. We

[49:50] are moving to assembly. Third

[49:53] reading directly to item 268.

[49:57] item 268ab1923. A secretary,

[50:05] please read assembly bill 1923

[50:07] by assembly member soria and

[50:09] link to elections and declaring

[50:10] the arches thereof to take

[50:11] effect immediately. Senator

[50:13] caballero, you're recognized.

[50:14] thank you, mr. President. Good

[50:16] morning. Good morning members.

[50:17] today I rise to present ab 1923

[50:19] on behalf of assembly member

[50:21] soria and myself, fresno county

[50:24] counties, long standing local

[50:26] transportation sales tax is

[50:28] called measure c, which

[50:30] currently raises millions of

[50:31] dollars. For decades, these

[50:33] locally generated dollars have

[50:34] repaired roads, improved public

[50:36] transit, enhance safety, and

[50:38] help fresno county compete for

[50:40] billions of dollars in state

[50:41] and federal transportation

[50:43] funds. Measure c funds are set

[50:45] to expire next year. In

[50:47] response, thousands of fresno

[50:49] county residents came together

[50:51] to qualify a citizen led

[50:54] initiative to place a success

[50:56] message before the voters this

[50:58] november. The measure, fresno

[51:00] county transportation

[51:01] improvement act, is the product

[51:03] of over two years of public

[51:05] engagement involving thousands

[51:07] of fresno county residents,

[51:09] local government, business

[51:10] leader, labor organization and

[51:12] community groups. And those are

[51:13] the individuals that showed up

[51:15] yesterday in support of the

[51:16] bill over 100 and which

[51:19] included students and unions.

[51:20] it was an impressive show of

[51:24] excitement and interest in in

[51:26] this new transportation

[51:28] improvement act. The measure

[51:29] reflects the priorities

[51:31] identified by the residents and

[51:33] is projected to generate 7.4

[51:35] billion in local transportation

[51:37] dollars support approximately

[51:39] 68,000 jobs, jobs and produce

[51:42] more than 13 billion in

[51:45] economic activity. More than

[51:47] 32,000 people signed the

[51:49] petition in support of the

[51:52] measure from all over the

[51:53] county, and the. And the

[51:54] required number of signatures

[51:56] was certified by the county

[51:59] registrar of voters. I want to

[52:00] emphasize that it was certified.

[52:02] the voters behind this measure

[52:04] complied with all necessary

[52:06] deadlines and complied with

[52:07] every legal requirement to make

[52:08] sure the initiative was placed

[52:10] on the upcoming november 2026

[52:12] ballot. Instead of moving the

[52:14] measure to the november ballot,

[52:16] the board of supervisors

[52:18] exercised the option to order a

[52:21] report, a decision that caused

[52:22] the measure to miss the

[52:24] statutory deadline for

[52:25] placement this november. In

[52:26] other words, they issued. They

[52:28] asked for a report and that the

[52:31] report take 30 days in order to

[52:33] prepare, which means it goes

[52:36] past the. The election code

[52:38] states that if a county

[52:40] initiative qualifies with

[52:42] sufficient votes as certified

[52:43] by the county registrar of

[52:45] voters, that it must be placed

[52:47] on the next election ballot

[52:49] unless the governing body of

[52:50] the county would like for it to

[52:52] be placed sooner in a special

[52:55] election. That didn't happen in

[52:56] this case. That brings us to

[52:58] the question before us today.

[53:00] when the people do everything

[53:02] the law requires to qualify a

[53:04] citizen led initiative for the

[53:06] ballot, should a ministerial

[53:08] process delay them from voting

[53:10] on it? The ministerial process

[53:13] is taking the registrar of

[53:14] voters information and saying,

[53:15] hey, if it passed it, it it

[53:19] it's been qualified for the

[53:22] ballot. That's that's the only

[53:24] thing the board's supposed to

[53:25] do. They can ask for a report.

[53:27] and that report can be very

[53:29] important, but that should not

[53:31] delay the process. They can

[53:33] still receive the report. Let

[53:35] me first say that I have always

[53:37] been a big supporter of local

[53:39] control, and I chaired local

[53:40] government for many, many years

[53:42] and was honored to defend local

[53:46] government. As a former mayor,

[53:47] I fought to protect the

[53:49] authority of cities and

[53:50] counties, to make decisions for

[53:51] their own communities. And in

[53:53] fact, that's what led me to run

[53:55] for higher office, was to make

[53:57] sure that that the state was

[53:59] respecting local control. But

[54:01] local control is more than the

[54:03] authority of the elected

[54:04] officials. It is also about

[54:06] respecting the voices of the

[54:07] people that they serve.

[54:09] california's initiative process

[54:11] process exists to get to give

[54:13] citizens a path to get things

[54:15] done when they want to place an

[54:16] issue directly before the

[54:18] voters. When people follow the

[54:20] law, gather the required

[54:22] signatures and qualify the

[54:23] measure for the ballot, they

[54:25] deserve the opportunity to have

[54:26] their voice heard. That's all

[54:29] this bill does. It does not

[54:30] affect the report the board

[54:32] asked for. It does not rule on

[54:34] the merits of the ballot

[54:35] measure, and it does not decide

[54:37] whether the transportation

[54:39] measure passes or not. That

[54:40] goes before the voters, and it

[54:42] does not impose a tax. It

[54:44] simply preserves the

[54:45] opportunity for the people of

[54:46] fresno to vote on the citizen

[54:48] led initiative. And the stakes

[54:50] couldn't be higher. If the

[54:52] measure does not reach the

[54:53] november ballot, measure c will

[54:55] expire without a successor in

[54:58] place, creating a significant

[55:01] gap in local transportation

[55:03] funding. That means fewer

[55:04] dollars for road maintenance,

[55:06] public transit safety

[55:07] improvement and transportation

[55:09] infrastructure throughout the

[55:11] county. Without a local funding

[55:13] commitment, fresno county

[55:14] becomes less competitive for

[55:16] state and federal

[55:17] transportation grants and risks

[55:19] losing access to funding

[55:20] program. And it's not just

[55:22] fresno county. It's all 15

[55:25] cities that are in the county.

[55:27] the impact of this decision

[55:28] will not be felt equally, our

[55:30] rural communities stand to lose

[55:32] the most. The city of fresno is

[55:34] already pursuing its own local

[55:36] sales tax measure to protect

[55:38] transportation funding within

[55:39] the city limits. And while that

[55:41] may provide a path forward for

[55:43] the city of fresno, our rural

[55:48] cities and unincorporated

[55:50] communities do not have the

[55:51] same option. Those communities

[55:52] simply do not have the tax base

[55:54] or financial capacity to

[55:57] replace these dollars on their

[55:58] own. Most of the cities are

[56:00] 2000 people or less. For rural

[56:02] communities, transportation

[56:03] funding is much more than the

[56:05] roads. It keeps agricultural

[56:07] products moving. It supports

[56:08] local businesses and good

[56:10] paying jobs. It provides safe

[56:12] routes to school, strengthens

[56:14] emergency response during

[56:15] floods and wildfires, and

[56:17] connects residents to health

[56:18] care, employment and essential

[56:20] services. This is a short

[56:22] sighted decision with long term

[56:24] consequences, and that's why so

[56:26] many people showed up yesterday

[56:27] to testify in the committee,

[56:30] the elections committee. The

[56:32] opposition argued that the

[56:33] board of supervisors ordered

[56:35] the report because they don't

[56:37] like the ballot measure, and

[56:39] that once the report was

[56:40] prepared, a special meeting

[56:41] would not be called to put the

[56:44] measure on the november 26th

[56:45] ballot. So it's purposeful.

[56:49] it's purposely evading the

[56:50] purpose of the statute, and

[56:52] it's trying to subvert the will

[56:54] of the public that works so

[56:56] hard to put this ballot measure

[56:57] together. The election laws

[57:00] were never intended to allow a

[57:02] county board of supervisors to

[57:04] circumvent the will of the

[57:06] people. Delaying this vote

[57:07] jeopardizes jobs, weakens

[57:09] fresno county's ability to

[57:10] compete for state and federal

[57:12] investments, and leaves our

[57:13] smallest communities with fewer

[57:15] resources to meet growing

[57:17] transportation needs. The bill

[57:19] will not override local control.

[57:21] rather, it will protect one of

[57:23] the most fundamental

[57:24] expressions of local control.

[57:26] we have the right of voters to

[57:28] decide the future of their own

[57:30] community. At the end of the

[57:31] day, this bill acts to protect

[57:33] the integrity of california's

[57:35] initiative process. Ensure that

[57:37] the people of fresno county and

[57:40] not a procedural delay will

[57:42] have the final say. I

[57:44] respectfully ask for your vote

[57:46] and for immediate transmission

[57:48] transmittal to the assembly.

[57:50] senator grove, you are

[57:52] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[57:54] president. I. I appreciate my

[57:57] colleague's comments. I know

[57:58] that we have worked well on on

[58:00] central valley issues, but this

[58:02] is an issue that where we see

[58:04] this issue from different sides.

[58:06] so the people who gathered

[58:07] those signatures I deeply

[58:08] respect and they put the ballot

[58:10] measure forward. They submitted

[58:11] the information. It was

[58:13] certified. It would be

[58:14] certified one day late, which

[58:15] is not within the process. I

[58:17] would like to gracefully

[58:20] correct my colleague on the

[58:21] election code, section 9118. It

[58:25] says the initiative petition if

[58:27] is signed. If the initiative

[58:29] petition is signed by voters,

[58:31] the board of it has another

[58:33] paragraph there. But what's

[58:34] important in this is the board

[58:35] of supervisors shall do one of

[58:37] the following. Adopt the

[58:39] ordinance without without

[58:42] alteration and regular. At a

[58:43] regular meeting and a certified

[58:45] position presented within ten

[58:46] days after it's presented or be

[58:50] submitted. Ordinance with an

[58:51] alteration to the voters

[58:52] pursuant to section code 1405

[58:55] or c. Order a report to section

[58:59] 9111 and the regular meeting at

[59:01] a regular meeting at which the

[59:03] certification or petition is

[59:05] presented, which the report

[59:06] will be presented to the board

[59:07] of supervisors, and the board

[59:08] shall either adopt the

[59:09] ordinance within ten days or

[59:11] order an election pursuant to

[59:12] the subdivision b, so they do

[59:14] have the right to order a study.

[59:17] the reason why some of the

[59:19] supervisors are very concerned

[59:21] about this is because this tax

[59:22] will be continually collected

[59:24] from the citizens of the

[59:25] district that I represent. It

[59:27] will be sent to sacramento. And

[59:29] then if this if fresno county's

[59:31] road and infrastructure

[59:32] projects meet the requirements

[59:34] that are in the language of

[59:36] this ballot measure, that's on

[59:38] there, meaning that you widen

[59:40] the road, you have a bike path,

[59:41] you have a bus path, you have

[59:43] bus access, you have electrical

[59:45] infrastructure. It to me, I

[59:46] don't think fresno will ever

[59:48] get any of this money back. It

[59:50] will always stay in kern in

[59:52] sacramento. And my concern is,

[59:54] is that the dollars that are

[59:56] collected by this tax will not

[1:00:00] benefit this community because

[1:00:01] of all the restrictions and the

[1:00:03] requirements based on the

[1:00:04] ballot language. And I get it,

[1:00:05] planning trees and bike lanes

[1:00:07] and bus pass, all those things,

[1:00:09] free bus passes, all of those

[1:00:12] things are included in this

[1:00:13] language to get people to sign

[1:00:15] up for these ballot measures

[1:00:16] for increased taxes. The other

[1:00:18] thing that I would like to

[1:00:19] share is I don't think this

[1:00:21] this bill before us today is

[1:00:23] about roads or transit or even

[1:00:25] the voters. It's about

[1:00:27] sacramento deciding what they

[1:00:29] know better and the people that

[1:00:31] are elect, our county

[1:00:32] supervisors, some of those

[1:00:34] 30,000 people that sign this

[1:00:36] petition, probably not all of

[1:00:37] them, but they supported the

[1:00:39] county supervisors and put them

[1:00:40] in elected office to make

[1:00:41] decisions over them on a local

[1:00:43] level. On july 8th, the fresno

[1:00:46] county registrar certified the

[1:00:47] better roads and safe streets

[1:00:48] initiative through the valid

[1:00:50] signatures. But just a few

[1:00:54] months ago, actually less than

[1:00:56] two months ago, this body

[1:00:57] passed a c 22, which put prop

[1:01:01] 43 on the ballot, which would

[1:01:02] require a two thirds signature.

[1:01:03] it was a negotiation that was

[1:01:06] with outside parties and this

[1:01:08] legislature, only one person

[1:01:09] voted no on this body. Fuller.

[1:01:10] and that's my colleague from

[1:01:12] san francisco. Everyone else

[1:01:14] supported that initiative that

[1:01:16] we put on the ballot, and it's

[1:01:17] prop 43, which would require a

[1:01:19] two thirds vote, which is a

[1:01:20] taxpayer protection measure

[1:01:22] that is better than 50 plus one.

[1:01:24] and now we're going back just

[1:01:26] less than two months later to

[1:01:28] unwind it for this particular

[1:01:30] city under a long standing

[1:01:32] election code 9118, which I

[1:01:34] just read to you, the board of

[1:01:36] supervisors had clear and

[1:01:38] lawful option to be able to

[1:01:39] request a report, wait for its

[1:01:42] results, and then decide if

[1:01:43] they were going to put it on

[1:01:44] the ballot within ten days.

[1:01:46] this process. I talked to

[1:01:48] supervisors this morning. This

[1:01:50] process is going through the

[1:01:51] local process. According to the

[1:01:52] election codes that this body

[1:01:54] establishes, and they are

[1:01:56] putting it on the ballot. My

[1:01:58] understanding is is in 2028,

[1:02:00] but we're circumventing that

[1:02:02] process and circumventing local

[1:02:04] control. The legal

[1:02:06] certification process would

[1:02:07] have been placed this

[1:02:08] initiative on the 2028 ballot.

[1:02:10] and I do believe that people

[1:02:12] are concerned about 20 about

[1:02:14] prop, excuse me, prop 43, the

[1:02:16] lower the local taxpayer

[1:02:18] protection act, ab 1923 now

[1:02:21] comes after the fact, and that

[1:02:23] the legislature already

[1:02:26] approved prop 43. And now we're

[1:02:29] ignoring that fact. We're

[1:02:30] simply rewriting the rules for

[1:02:32] one county. And I think other

[1:02:35] counties will probably follow.

[1:02:36] there is a process to put

[1:02:38] something on the ballot. There

[1:02:39] were signatures gathered. I

[1:02:41] applaud them for going to the

[1:02:43] work and and making sure that

[1:02:44] they had the process in place

[1:02:46] and the signatures. But again,

[1:02:48] my concern is the funding piece

[1:02:49] that will never come back to

[1:02:51] fresno county because of all

[1:02:52] the requirements that are in

[1:02:53] the ballot measure language. If

[1:02:55] you haven't, if you haven't

[1:02:56] read it, you should. They can't

[1:02:58] access the resources without

[1:03:00] doing all these extra things.

[1:03:02] and I just don't think that

[1:03:03] fresno county is going to be

[1:03:04] able to have the ability to do

[1:03:06] that. Do we need roads and

[1:03:08] infrastructure repair in this

[1:03:09] district and our central valley?

[1:03:11] 1,000%. You drive on 395, you

[1:03:13] go down to los angeles, you

[1:03:15] have great roads. We have more

[1:03:17] roads, miles per capita for our

[1:03:19] communities in the central

[1:03:20] valley, where we get almost

[1:03:22] hardly any infrastructure

[1:03:24] dollars for that. It'll all go

[1:03:25] to high speed rail, but they

[1:03:26] won't give it for roads and

[1:03:28] infrastructure. And then our

[1:03:29] counties are supposed to

[1:03:30] increase taxes on our

[1:03:33] constituents in order to pay

[1:03:34] for roads and infrastructure on

[1:03:35] a local level, when the

[1:03:37] supervisors said they would

[1:03:38] consider it. But they'll

[1:03:39] consider it through the process

[1:03:40] and they, the supervisors,

[1:03:43] exhausted their their lawful

[1:03:47] right under the elections code

[1:03:48] in order to do the study and

[1:03:50] put it on the 2028 ballot. So I

[1:03:54] it's a tough one for me because

[1:03:55] I know that the citizens worked

[1:03:57] hard and made sure that they

[1:03:58] got the signatures to be able

[1:04:00] to put it on the ballot. But I

[1:04:02] really don't think that the

[1:04:03] people of the of fresno county,

[1:04:05] not all of them, not all of

[1:04:06] them, some of them have, but

[1:04:08] not all of them have read the

[1:04:10] requirements. And I'm pretty

[1:04:11] sure that a majority of this

[1:04:12] money will never come back to

[1:04:14] that county after my

[1:04:15] constituents pay for this tax

[1:04:16] increase. And I respectfully

[1:04:18] ask for a no vote and let the

[1:04:20] process for the local authority

[1:04:21] and our local supervisors

[1:04:22] address this issue. Senator,

[1:04:24] you are recognized. Thank you,

[1:04:26] mr. President. I rise in

[1:04:28] support of ab 1923, and I

[1:04:30] certainly respect the

[1:04:33] perspective of the senator from

[1:04:35] bakersfield, but I have a

[1:04:36] different perspective I'd like

[1:04:37] to share. I don't represent

[1:04:38] fresno county. I was born in

[1:04:40] fresno. I have family that live

[1:04:41] in fresno county. So this

[1:04:43] impacts them. But I see this

[1:04:46] issue as a matter of statewide

[1:04:48] concern, because I think this

[1:04:50] sets a precedent for this to

[1:04:52] happen in other counties. And

[1:04:54] it's already happened in my

[1:04:55] county in alameda county, just

[1:04:57] this past tuesday. And this is

[1:04:59] germane to the matter before us,

[1:05:02] because I'm making a point. The

[1:05:05] alameda county board of

[1:05:06] supervisors using the same

[1:05:07] provision elections code

[1:05:08] section 199212, requested a

[1:05:13] report on the fiscal impacts of

[1:05:15] a proposed minimum wage measure

[1:05:18] with the express intent to

[1:05:20] delay putting that measure on

[1:05:21] the ballot. The supervisors

[1:05:22] were very transparent that

[1:05:24] their interest was to make sure

[1:05:25] that that did not appear on the

[1:05:27] ballot. So now that has to wait

[1:05:28] till 2028, even though over

[1:05:32] 150,000 signatures were

[1:05:33] collected in alameda county by

[1:05:35] people who thought this was

[1:05:36] going to appear on the november

[1:05:38] 2026 ballot, that's wrong. It's

[1:05:41] certainly appropriate for more

[1:05:43] members of the board of

[1:05:44] supervisors to get more

[1:05:45] information about a ballot

[1:05:47] measure before that measure is

[1:05:49] on the ballot. I'll note that

[1:05:50] in the case of alameda county's

[1:05:52] measure, that was in

[1:05:54] circulation for many, many

[1:05:55] months. So the supervisors

[1:05:56] could have requested that

[1:05:57] report, just like here in

[1:05:58] fresno county, months in

[1:06:01] advance, so that that

[1:06:03] information was before the

[1:06:04] board of supervisors, when the

[1:06:05] matter needed to be put on the

[1:06:07] ballot, rather than using that

[1:06:09] elections code section to

[1:06:11] deliberately delay this issue,

[1:06:13] going to the voters, I think

[1:06:15] it's absurd that a report could

[1:06:18] subvert the will of the voters.

[1:06:21] I think it's critical that we

[1:06:22] let the voters decide the

[1:06:24] hundreds of thousands of voters

[1:06:26] that signed these petitions, to

[1:06:28] put these things before the

[1:06:30] voters. I wish that I had the

[1:06:31] ability to introduce a bill

[1:06:33] like the senator from merced,

[1:06:35] to put that measure before the

[1:06:37] voters in alameda county, but I

[1:06:39] was not able to do so in this

[1:06:41] case. The voters of fresno

[1:06:43] county circulated an initiative.

[1:06:45] I'll just also clarify the

[1:06:46] record that prop 43 is

[1:06:48] prospective, not retrospective,

[1:06:50] doesn't have retrospective

[1:06:52] applicability. So measures that

[1:06:53] are on the ballot this year are

[1:06:55] subject to the current rules.

[1:06:58] and if that measure were to

[1:06:59] pass, then would be subject to

[1:07:00] the higher threshold. But

[1:07:02] that's a separate matter. I

[1:07:06] think that if people have

[1:07:07] objections to a ballot measure,

[1:07:10] make your case to the voters.

[1:07:11] talk about why you oppose it,

[1:07:13] but don't prevent the voters

[1:07:14] from having an opportunity,

[1:07:15] even consider the measure. I

[1:07:17] think that's anti-democratic.

[1:07:20] yes, we need to amend the

[1:07:21] elections code to prevent this

[1:07:22] from happening in the future.

[1:07:24] and maybe we need to have a

[1:07:26] deadline for when that report

[1:07:27] has to be issued so that it

[1:07:30] doesn't delay a measure from

[1:07:32] actually being able to be put

[1:07:33] on the ballot. But that's a

[1:07:35] separate matter for a separate

[1:07:37] discussion. And I hope we can

[1:07:38] clarify the law so that this

[1:07:39] isn't being used to

[1:07:41] deliberately prevent a

[1:07:44] qualified voter initiative from

[1:07:46] being considered by the voters.

[1:07:49] but we can do the right thing

[1:07:50] today by passing ab 1923 and

[1:07:53] respectfully ask for senator

[1:07:54] nilo. You are recognized. Thank

[1:07:59] you, mr. President. There are

[1:08:03] good arguments being made on

[1:08:04] both sides of this. As we can

[1:08:06] tell by the debate. And one

[1:08:09] more speaker to speak to it,

[1:08:13] presumably in support. But I'd

[1:08:16] like to point out that this is

[1:08:19] fundamentally a local dispute.

[1:08:24] and in passing this legislation

[1:08:28] effectively, what we're doing

[1:08:29] is we're not legislating. We're

[1:08:32] acting as a quasi judicial body,

[1:08:36] deciding a local dispute on

[1:08:39] behalf of one side of the

[1:08:41] dispute. I think that's a

[1:08:42] wholly inappropriate role for

[1:08:45] this body to play. And for that

[1:08:49] reason, I urge a no vote and

[1:08:51] allow the local. People to

[1:08:57] figure out how to settle this

[1:09:00] dispute, which is the way

[1:09:01] things should happen. Senator

[1:09:05] allen, you are recognized. Yeah,

[1:09:06] no, I appreciate those comments.

[1:09:08] I think in some respects we are

[1:09:10] letting the local people figure

[1:09:11] out the dispute. We've got the

[1:09:12] assembly member and the senator

[1:09:14] who represent the bulk of the

[1:09:15] county. We've got 11 out of 15

[1:09:17] mayors who are asking for this.

[1:09:20] the reason why the delay

[1:09:22] happened such that it created

[1:09:25] this this window of time that

[1:09:27] allowed for the board to call

[1:09:28] for this study, which would

[1:09:30] then kick the measure to 2028,

[1:09:33] was because they had been

[1:09:34] negotiating intensely and with

[1:09:37] the board and ultimately

[1:09:39] weren't able to come to a

[1:09:40] resolution. And so they had to

[1:09:43] to choose this path. We asked

[1:09:44] them in committee yesterday

[1:09:46] about whether the board had

[1:09:47] ever used this. This had ever

[1:09:50] called for a study over the

[1:09:53] many years where they've had a

[1:09:54] zoo tax measure, parks tax

[1:09:58] measure, transportation tax

[1:09:59] measures, and that that had

[1:10:01] never been done before. The

[1:10:02] other thing I'll say is that

[1:10:04] it's certainly my understanding

[1:10:05] that all of this money stays in

[1:10:07] the county, every single dollar.

[1:10:09] and I love I don't I don't

[1:10:11] understand the argument that

[1:10:12] was just made. This is this is

[1:10:14] money that stays there for

[1:10:15] transportation projects. There.

[1:10:19] finally, one of the 11 mayors

[1:10:20] is actually the mayor of fresno,

[1:10:22] who represents certainly the

[1:10:23] largest city in the in the

[1:10:25] county. And that was meaningful

[1:10:27] to me as I heard this

[1:10:28] discussion yesterday, because I

[1:10:30] know that there were some

[1:10:31] dispute over the the way that

[1:10:33] the allocation of the dollars

[1:10:34] was was being framed for around

[1:10:36] the county and and, and look,

[1:10:38] in the end of the day, this is

[1:10:40] just putting something on the

[1:10:41] ballot. The voters will have

[1:10:43] the opportunity to choose their

[1:10:44] was a measure on the ballot in

[1:10:46] 2022. It failed. There was a

[1:10:48] real, you know, internal

[1:10:48] dispute in the county. And this

[1:10:50] is just giving the people of

[1:10:53] the county the opportunity to

[1:10:55] decide, one way or another as

[1:10:56] to whether they want to extend

[1:10:58] this important tax, which has

[1:11:00] been been providing resources

[1:11:02] for essential transportation

[1:11:05] services for the county over

[1:11:07] many, many years. And this was

[1:11:08] now going instead of expiring

[1:11:10] and not important source of

[1:11:11] revenue, just ending without a

[1:11:13] conversation. It's going to

[1:11:14] give the people of the county

[1:11:16] the opportunity to decide, and

[1:11:17] it will ultimately be up to

[1:11:19] them. If we pass this today and

[1:11:20] signed, it will be up to the

[1:11:22] people of the county of fresno

[1:11:24] to decide as to whether they

[1:11:25] want to move forward with this

[1:11:27] or not. And for that, I

[1:11:28] respectfully ask and I vote.

[1:11:29] thank you. Senator. Seeing no

[1:11:31] further discussion or debate,

[1:11:33] senator caballero, would you

[1:11:34] like to close? Thank you very

[1:11:35] much, mr. President. I

[1:11:37] appreciate the debate. It's

[1:11:39] unfortunate to be in this

[1:11:42] position. The reality of the

[1:11:44] situation is there was a ballot

[1:11:45] measure in 22 that was put on

[1:11:47] to extend the tax, despite the

[1:11:49] fact it wasn't expiring at that

[1:11:51] point. The the ballot measure

[1:11:53] was put on by local government

[1:11:56] and did not pass because,

[1:11:59] frankly, the distribution of

[1:12:01] how the money would be spent

[1:12:03] within the different

[1:12:04] communities, many of the

[1:12:06] smaller communities felt that

[1:12:07] it wasn't fair and there wasn't

[1:12:10] enough revenue that would go

[1:12:12] towards transit, which is a big

[1:12:14] need in this area. And we had

[1:12:16] testimony from students and hhs

[1:12:19] workers and other individuals

[1:12:21] that take public transportation

[1:12:23] and desperately need it and are

[1:12:24] in support of, of, of the the

[1:12:27] measure, as was articulated,

[1:12:30] this is not putting a thumb on

[1:12:31] the scale. This is just

[1:12:33] allowing it to go to a vote of

[1:12:35] the public. And then people can

[1:12:38] debate over whether it's the

[1:12:40] right allocation of money, but

[1:12:41] it is all local money. What,

[1:12:44] what what was said is

[1:12:46] absolutely true. We have one of

[1:12:48] the highest percentage of

[1:12:52] highways that go through the

[1:12:54] area, 99 and five principally,

[1:12:58] but then all the cross highways

[1:13:00] that take you from one little

[1:13:02] community to the next. And

[1:13:03] these small communities

[1:13:05] desperately need resources. And

[1:13:06] so we're putting we're doing

[1:13:08] the right thing, which is to

[1:13:09] insist that it go on the

[1:13:11] november ballot. The board can

[1:13:12] look at the report and make

[1:13:14] their comments on it and oppose

[1:13:15] it if they want. But but

[1:13:19] politics should not be allowed

[1:13:21] to. Delay what a voter

[1:13:26] initiative has done according

[1:13:28] to all the rules. And so I

[1:13:30] respectfully ask for your vote.

[1:13:32] thank you. Senator. Secretary,

[1:13:33] please call roll. Alan I.

[1:13:36] alvarado. Gill. Archuleta. I

[1:13:38] aragon. I ashby I. Becker I

[1:13:42] blake speer. I cabaldon I

[1:13:45] caballero I cervantes. I choi

[1:13:48] nø cortez I deli durazo I

[1:13:53] gonzalez I grayson I grove nó.

[1:13:57] hurtado. Jones nø laird I limón

[1:14:02] I maguire I mcnerney I mengibar

[1:14:07] I nilo. No. Ochoa. No. Padilla

[1:14:11] I perez. I reyes. Richardson. I

[1:14:15] rubio. I serrato. Smallwood.

[1:14:18] cuevas I stern I strickland. No

[1:14:22] umberg I valladares no. Wahab I

[1:14:26] webber. Pearson wiener I

[1:14:30] secretary please call absent.

[1:14:33] members. Alvarado. Gil. Darling.

[1:14:36] no. Hurtado. Reyes. Cierto.

[1:14:42] webber. Pearson. Ayes 27 noes

[1:14:46] eight on the urgency. Ayes 27

[1:14:48] noes eight on the bill and it

[1:14:51] passes. Members we are moving

[1:14:53] back and file to item 46 a cr

[1:14:57] 149 secretary please read.

[1:15:00] assembly concurrent resolution

[1:15:02] 149 by assembly member hart

[1:15:03] relative to the california

[1:15:04] coastal act of 1976. Senator

[1:15:07] laird, you are recognized.

[1:15:08] thank you, mr. President. I'm

[1:15:10] presenting assembly concurrent

[1:15:12] resolution 149 on behalf of

[1:15:14] assembly member greg hart,

[1:15:16] which commemorates the 50th

[1:15:18] anniversary of the california

[1:15:19] coastal act and the creation of

[1:15:21] the state coastal conservancy.

[1:15:23] this resolution will look very

[1:15:25] familiar because we passed a

[1:15:26] senate, one that they've

[1:15:27] concurred in. They are passed

[1:15:29] this resolution. We're asking

[1:15:31] to concur in it. This

[1:15:33] recognizes 50 years of coastal

[1:15:35] protection. I respectfully ask

[1:15:36] for an aye và. Seeing no

[1:15:40] further discussion or debate.

[1:15:43] secretary. Please call. Roll.

[1:15:45] allen. Aye. Alvarado. Gill.

[1:15:47] archuleta. Aye. Origin. Aye.

[1:15:49] ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

[1:15:51] blakespear. Aye. Cabaldon. Aye.

[1:15:54] caballero. Aye. Cervantes. Choi.

[1:15:59] cortez. Aye. Daily durazo. Aye.

[1:16:03] gonzalez. Aye. Grayson. Aye.

[1:16:06] grove. Hurtado. Aye. Jones. No.

[1:16:12] laird. Aye. Lehman. Mcguire.

[1:16:16] aye. Mcnerney. Aye. Mengibar.

[1:16:20] aye. Nilo. Ochoa. Bogh. Padilla.

[1:16:25] aye. Perez. Reyes. Richardson.

[1:16:29] aye. Rubio. Aye cierto.

[1:16:34] smallwood. Cuevas. Aye. Stern.

[1:16:37] aye. Strickland. Umber. Aye.

[1:16:42] valladares. Wahab. Aye. Webber.

[1:16:45] pearson. Wiener. Aye. Secretary.

[1:16:51] please call absent members.

[1:16:53] alvarado. Gil. Cervantes. Aye.

[1:16:57] choi. Dawley. Grove. Limon.

[1:17:02] nilo. Ochoa. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

[1:17:11] segato. Strickland. Valladares.

[1:17:16] weber. Pearson. Yeah. Ayes 27

[1:17:23] nos. One. The resolution passes.

[1:17:26] members. We are deferring on

[1:17:28] special consent calendar. We

[1:17:30] are deferring regular consent

[1:17:31] calendar and taking up the

[1:17:32] special consent calendar. Any

[1:17:34] members wish to remove any item

[1:17:36] from the consent calendar.

[1:17:40] senator blake spear, you are

[1:17:42] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[1:17:44] president. I rise to request

[1:17:45] file item number 325 is pulled

[1:17:47] from the consent calendar. The

[1:17:49] desk will note. Seeing no other

[1:17:54] members to be recognized.

[1:17:56] secretary, please read the

[1:17:57] consent calendar. Senate

[1:17:58] resolution 109. Senate

[1:17:59] concurrent resolution 182.

[1:18:00] senate resolution 118. Assembly

[1:18:02] concurrent resolution 2142 19

[1:18:04] to 2223, 157, 187, one, 94, 222

[1:18:08] and assembly concurrent

[1:18:10] resolution 224.

[1:18:29] thank you

[1:18:30] secretary. Please call roll.

[1:18:33] allen. I brought a girl,

[1:18:38] archuleta I aragon I ashby I

[1:18:41] becker I blake speer. I

[1:18:45] cabaldon caballero I cervantes

[1:18:50] I choi I cortez I daly durazo I

[1:18:57] gonzalez I grayson I grove I

[1:19:02] hurtado I jones I laird I limon

[1:19:07] I mcguire. I mcnerney I

[1:19:11] mengibar I nilo I ochoa I

[1:19:13] padilla I perez I reyes.

[1:19:19] richardson I rubio I sato.

[1:19:25] smallwood cuevas I stern I

[1:19:27] strickland I umberg I

[1:19:31] valladares I wahab I weber.

[1:19:34] pearson wiener I. Secretary.

[1:19:38] please call members. Alvarado

[1:19:40] gil cabaldon I dalley. Reyes.

[1:19:46] cierto. Weber. Pearson. Ayes 35

[1:19:49] no zero on item 331 ayes 35. No.

[1:19:53] zero on the remaining items a

[1:19:54] special consent calendar and it

[1:19:56] passes. Members. We are moving

[1:19:58] now to our returning to motions

[1:20:01] and resolutions for the purpose

[1:20:03] of adjournments in memory. And

[1:20:07] we are going to recognize

[1:20:10] senator wahab and senator

[1:20:13] mcnerney for the first

[1:20:14] adjournment in memory. Senator

[1:20:23] wahab, you are recognized or

[1:20:26] senator mcnerney, let's start

[1:20:28] with you. You are recognized.

[1:20:34] mr. President and distinguished

[1:20:37] colleagues, I rise today to ask

[1:20:39] that we adjourn in the memory

[1:20:40] of scott haggerty, a former

[1:20:44] longtime member of the alameda

[1:20:46] county board of supervisors and

[1:20:47] resident of livermore,

[1:20:48] california, which is in my

[1:20:51] district. Scott haggerty was a

[1:20:53] leader in the bay area politics

[1:20:55] who represented the tri-valley

[1:20:56] and the city of fremont as an

[1:20:58] alameda county supervisor for a

[1:20:59] good 24 years. That's twice as

[1:21:03] long as we're allowed here.

[1:21:06] scott led on a range of bay

[1:21:07] area issues, including

[1:21:09] transportation, clean energy,

[1:21:11] public safety, supportive

[1:21:12] housing, the arts and

[1:21:14] agriculture. He died on july

[1:21:16] 5th at the age of 68 years.

[1:21:18] scott and I had at least one

[1:21:20] thing in common. He was also a

[1:21:22] political novice. When he was

[1:21:24] first elected to public office

[1:21:26] in 1996, he burst into the east

[1:21:28] bay political scene when he won

[1:21:30] a seat on the alameda county

[1:21:31] board of supervisors at the age

[1:21:33] of 38. Despite having no prior

[1:21:36] elected public experience. He

[1:21:38] was subsequently subsequently

[1:21:40] elected to five more terms as

[1:21:44] supervisor. Over the years,

[1:21:46] scott earned a reputation as

[1:21:47] being a candid, no nonsense

[1:21:49] public official and champion of

[1:21:53] transportation, who took the

[1:21:54] lead on several major projects

[1:21:55] and initiatives. And despite

[1:21:57] the political environment, he

[1:21:59] was a nonpartizan politician.

[1:22:01] he just wanted to get things

[1:22:03] done. He successfully advocated

[1:22:05] for two countrywide

[1:22:06] transportation measures during

[1:22:08] his during his tenure that had

[1:22:10] a significant impact on the bay

[1:22:12] area. He was also a longtime

[1:22:14] leader in the metropolitan

[1:22:16] transportation commission. Kò

[1:22:18] roadway and transit projects in

[1:22:19] the tri-valley that he had

[1:22:21] worked on included highway 84

[1:22:24] extension between highway 580

[1:22:26] and livermore. Scott was also

[1:22:29] an early champion of a project

[1:22:30] close to my heart. The plan.

[1:22:33] valley link rail line

[1:22:34] connecting san joaquin valley

[1:22:35] to the bay area. Scott also

[1:22:38] served on the governing board

[1:22:39] of the livermore, alameda,

[1:22:41] livermore, amador valley

[1:22:43] transit authority, the san

[1:22:45] joaquin regional rail

[1:22:47] commission, the bay area air

[1:22:48] district, oakland-alameda

[1:22:50] county coliseum authority, and

[1:22:52] the association of bay area

[1:22:55] governments. He didn't ignore

[1:22:56] issues that nourish and sustain

[1:22:58] us by promoting agriculture,

[1:23:00] land conservation and clean

[1:23:02] energy. Scott was also a strong

[1:23:06] supporter of the marissa hunt

[1:23:08] agricultural education center

[1:23:10] and youth barn that opened in

[1:23:12] 2019 at the alameda county

[1:23:14] fairgrounds in pleasanton. He

[1:23:16] was also instrumental in

[1:23:18] developing the bankhead

[1:23:19] livermore theater, the premier

[1:23:21] performing arts venue in the

[1:23:23] tri-valley. One of scott's

[1:23:25] final projects in office was

[1:23:27] helping to provide the funding

[1:23:29] needed to launch goodness

[1:23:30] village, a supportive housing

[1:23:32] project for unsheltered people

[1:23:34] in livermore. Scott understood

[1:23:36] that addressing homelessness

[1:23:38] required creativity,

[1:23:40] opportunities for people to

[1:23:41] build their lives with dignity.

[1:23:43] scott is deeply missed. Senator

[1:23:46] wahab, thank you, colleagues. I

[1:23:48] rise to honor the life of scott

[1:23:50] haggerty, a leader whose impact

[1:23:52] transformed alameda county

[1:23:54] specifically as a board of

[1:23:55] supervisor. Scott harnessed the

[1:23:58] power of local government and

[1:23:59] addressed problems and turning

[1:24:00] ideas into results. As was

[1:24:03] mentioned, he primarily focused

[1:24:05] a lot on bay area transit and

[1:24:08] specifically in our district.

[1:24:09] as it was expanding and growing,

[1:24:12] he worked very hard to ensure

[1:24:14] that our district received its

[1:24:16] funds, received its support and

[1:24:17] much more. Scott was never shy

[1:24:20] about his beliefs and very

[1:24:24] direct and blunt about his

[1:24:26] opinions. I will say that scott

[1:24:28] actually is very much the

[1:24:29] embodiment of what human beings

[1:24:31] are flawed and struggling and

[1:24:34] have problems and have opinions

[1:24:36] and have hopes and have dreams

[1:24:38] and and so much more. And yet

[1:24:42] he was always authentically

[1:24:44] himself. And I will highlight

[1:24:46] the fact that scott and I

[1:24:47] disagreed on a wide variety of

[1:24:49] things, but he was deeply

[1:24:51] committed to his ideas and his

[1:24:53] principles, and he would at

[1:24:56] least explain why he had his

[1:24:58] opinions. And I will say that

[1:25:01] anybody that dedicates their

[1:25:02] life to public service gives a

[1:25:04] lot to the community, whether

[1:25:06] we see it or don't, whether we

[1:25:08] agree with it or don't. Scott

[1:25:11] was the individual that served

[1:25:13] for literally well over a

[1:25:16] decade plus and tried to do his

[1:25:20] best when it came to expanding

[1:25:21] public transit into the east

[1:25:24] bay and much more. Scott is

[1:25:26] survived by his wife, children,

[1:25:28] grandchildren, and siblings.

[1:25:29] and I respectfully ask. We

[1:25:30] adjourn in his memory. Senator

[1:25:33] cortez, you are recognized.

[1:25:36] thank you, mr. President.

[1:25:37] colleagues. I first met

[1:25:42] supervisor scott haggerty in

[1:25:44] 2001. I was I had just been

[1:25:47] elected to san jose city

[1:25:48] council and appointed by the

[1:25:50] mayor to our cog, the

[1:25:51] association of bay area

[1:25:52] governments, along with other

[1:25:54] appointments and commissions.

[1:25:57] and of course, supervisor

[1:26:00] haggerty, who already was a

[1:26:01] member of that commission, and

[1:26:03] other regional government

[1:26:05] bodies, made himself known

[1:26:08] almost immediately upon my

[1:26:10] arrival on the scene. I would

[1:26:14] not have become president of

[1:26:15] that organization were it not

[1:26:18] for supervisor haggerty, which,

[1:26:21] when I look back on my own

[1:26:23] history of regional government.

[1:26:28] really had had a waterfall

[1:26:31] effect, a cascading effect on

[1:26:32] my entire career thereafter,

[1:26:35] because he came up to me, he

[1:26:37] was a doer. He understood

[1:26:39] regional politics. I've found

[1:26:42] out over the years how much he

[1:26:45] understood county politics on

[1:26:47] his own board of supervisors,

[1:26:49] but he literally came up to me

[1:26:50] one day at one of the one of

[1:26:53] the association of bay area

[1:26:54] governments meetings with a

[1:26:55] clipboard and says, you need to

[1:26:57] go around and get signatures

[1:26:58] because you're going to be the

[1:26:59] next vice president of, of the

[1:27:01] organization. And I said, who

[1:27:03] do I talk to? I'm new here. I

[1:27:05] don't even know most of the

[1:27:07] people. And he said, just wait

[1:27:08] right here. And he came back

[1:27:10] about maybe ten minutes later

[1:27:12] with the entire clipboard

[1:27:14] signed, nominating me on a

[1:27:17] white ballot. Of course. Then I

[1:27:19] became, by succession the

[1:27:22] president of that organization.

[1:27:23] it was critical to us in san

[1:27:25] jose because at that time, san

[1:27:28] jose did not have a seat on

[1:27:32] what we call the metropolitan

[1:27:34] transportation commission. Our

[1:27:35] mpo, even though san jose was

[1:27:36] the largest city and still is

[1:27:39] in the bay area, it had major

[1:27:41] projects going on. And and

[1:27:43] scott knew it was very

[1:27:45] important for me to be able to,

[1:27:47] to at least open the door to

[1:27:50] legislation and a recomposition

[1:27:51] of, of our transportation

[1:27:53] commission so that san jose

[1:27:54] could be represented there. And

[1:27:57] he supported me in that not

[1:27:59] only supported me in that

[1:28:00] supported me in becoming a

[1:28:02] member of the metropolitan

[1:28:04] transportation commission

[1:28:07] through. Means that I won't get

[1:28:08] into right now. And then

[1:28:10] subsequently support supported

[1:28:11] the recomposition of of that

[1:28:15] body. So these are the kind of

[1:28:18] impacts, as we all know, as

[1:28:19] elected officials, especially

[1:28:20] worked in regional level or any

[1:28:22] other level that don't show up

[1:28:26] real clearly on somebody's

[1:28:28] resume and have this massive

[1:28:30] impact. What I didn't know, as

[1:28:32] we were working on the

[1:28:34] so-called bart extension into

[1:28:35] silicon valley, what I didn't

[1:28:38] know from scott was that he had

[1:28:40] committed to our mayor, ron

[1:28:42] gonzalez at the time, who had

[1:28:43] who had launched that project.

[1:28:46] that by all means and by any

[1:28:48] means, he was going to support

[1:28:49] the project on every vote in

[1:28:50] the future. But he never shared

[1:28:52] that with me being the savvy

[1:28:54] politician that he was. So I

[1:28:55] can't tell you how many times I

[1:28:57] had to go to him pleading for

[1:29:00] votes to continue the funding

[1:29:03] or the things that we needed,

[1:29:05] including some alameda county

[1:29:06] money from time to time to keep

[1:29:08] that project going. And, you

[1:29:11] know, of course, have have

[1:29:12] scott basically flipped the

[1:29:16] negotiating table and say, if

[1:29:18] you want that vote, you're

[1:29:19] going to have to support what

[1:29:21] I'm doing and what I want in

[1:29:22] alameda county. It wasn't until

[1:29:24] we did the groundbreaking on on

[1:29:27] the berryessa station in san

[1:29:29] jose for the bart extension

[1:29:31] that I heard mayor gonzalez and

[1:29:34] supervisors supervisor haggerty

[1:29:36] celebrating their first

[1:29:37] conversation, where scott had

[1:29:39] already committed to every

[1:29:40] single one of those votes. So

[1:29:42] it was a little bit of you have

[1:29:44] to have a sense of humor, of

[1:29:46] course, at that point and say,

[1:29:48] smart guy, good guy, good

[1:29:50] friend, good supporter. I'll

[1:29:52] let him, you know, get away

[1:29:54] with that one. Scott became a

[1:29:59] close friend because we both I

[1:30:02] have four children now, adult

[1:30:04] children, and he had several

[1:30:06] children as well. And the bumps

[1:30:10] and bruises of dealing with our

[1:30:12] own children as elected

[1:30:13] officials, you know, came came

[1:30:16] home to roost a few times. And

[1:30:18] what a lot of people didn't

[1:30:20] know about this guy who was

[1:30:23] actually pretty gruff and, and,

[1:30:26] and almost overly direct at

[1:30:28] times as an elected official

[1:30:30] was his caring and compassion

[1:30:33] and concern about others. And I

[1:30:35] will tell you some of the best

[1:30:37] advice I've ever received from

[1:30:39] anybody, including people in

[1:30:40] the medical profession, about

[1:30:41] how to, to deal with some of

[1:30:44] the issues I was dealing with

[1:30:45] in my own family, you know,

[1:30:47] came on long walks through the

[1:30:48] streets of san francisco and in

[1:30:50] other places with scott

[1:30:51] haggerty, where he just said,

[1:30:52] hey, tell me what's going on. I

[1:30:54] want to help. I just want to be

[1:30:56] of help. And that's the real

[1:30:57] human being. I think that we're

[1:30:59] celebrating not just somebody

[1:31:01] who started projects like

[1:31:04] valley link and helped bart get

[1:31:05] to silicon valley and did all

[1:31:07] these other things, but he did

[1:31:09] all that. But but someone who

[1:31:11] was very caring and concerned

[1:31:12] about others, one of the last

[1:31:15] things he said to me, he came

[1:31:17] to visit me in sacramento a few

[1:31:18] times since I've been here. But

[1:31:20] on our last trip to washington,

[1:31:21] dc together as transportation

[1:31:23] commissioners, he pleaded with

[1:31:25] me not to run for state senate.

[1:31:28] he said, you've done enough.

[1:31:29] you've had a long career. He

[1:31:31] said, I'm going to retire. And

[1:31:33] he looked at me and he said,

[1:31:34] life is too short. And I just

[1:31:35] couldn't get that out of my

[1:31:37] head. During his memorial last

[1:31:39] week. An individual who really

[1:31:43] had more years ahead of him to

[1:31:46] enjoy his life, to enjoy his

[1:31:47] family, to enjoy his his

[1:31:49] grandchildren. And I know they

[1:31:50] they miss him desperately. I'm

[1:31:52] going to miss him. And I

[1:31:54] appreciate joining in on this

[1:31:56] adjournment today. Thank you to

[1:31:57] my colleagues from stockton and

[1:32:00] hayward for that opportunity.

[1:32:01] senator, again, you are

[1:32:03] recognized. Thank you, mr.

[1:32:05] president. Colleagues, it's

[1:32:07] with profound sadness that I

[1:32:09] rise today to honor scott

[1:32:10] haggerty and try not to get

[1:32:12] emotional. Who as was mentioned,

[1:32:15] he was a dedicated public

[1:32:17] servant whose leadership helped

[1:32:19] modernize transportation and

[1:32:20] land use throughout the bay

[1:32:23] area. But on a on a personal

[1:32:25] level, he was a mentor to me

[1:32:27] and a dear friend. And like

[1:32:32] senator cortez and senator

[1:32:33] wiener and others who had the

[1:32:34] opportunity to serve with him.

[1:32:35] I had the privilege of serving

[1:32:37] with him in regional government.

[1:32:38] and like senator cortez, I was

[1:32:41] drafted by supervisor haggerty

[1:32:44] to serve as the vice president

[1:32:46] of the association of baker

[1:32:48] governments. And then I had the

[1:32:49] honor of serving as the

[1:32:50] president, working with him in

[1:32:51] that capacity. And I was

[1:32:54] surprised that this guy who was,

[1:32:56] you know, he was very

[1:32:58] intimidating. I guess I'll say

[1:32:59] that when I first met him, he

[1:33:01] had a very gruff personality

[1:33:03] and was very direct. And we had

[1:33:06] very different perspectives on

[1:33:08] issues. You know, I was the

[1:33:09] liberal mayor of berkeley, and

[1:33:10] he was this former republican

[1:33:13] conservative supervisor from

[1:33:15] the tri-valley. But beyond his

[1:33:18] gruff personality was somebody

[1:33:21] who had a heart of gold and who

[1:33:22] cared deeply about public

[1:33:24] service and cared deeply about

[1:33:26] people. And that was his north

[1:33:29] star. In his many decades of

[1:33:32] public service. And that formed

[1:33:34] a partnership over many, many

[1:33:37] years. One of the first

[1:33:39] opportunities I had to work

[1:33:40] with supervisor haggerty was

[1:33:41] when he championed the creation

[1:33:45] of our community choice

[1:33:47] aggregation public power agency

[1:33:48] in alameda county, now called

[1:33:50] ava community energy. He was

[1:33:52] the father of public power in

[1:33:55] alameda county. He saw it as an

[1:33:57] opportunity to invest in local

[1:34:00] development, create jobs, and

[1:34:01] help advance our region's

[1:34:03] efforts for energy independence.

[1:34:05] and like supervisor haggerty, I

[1:34:06] was a founding board member of

[1:34:08] ava community energy, and it

[1:34:09] was befitting because of his

[1:34:11] work. And this is something we

[1:34:13] had worked for decades to try

[1:34:14] to do in alameda county for

[1:34:17] many, many years. And it took

[1:34:19] scott haggerty to get it done.

[1:34:21] and like was said he was a

[1:34:23] person who got things done. And

[1:34:25] it was befitting that when he

[1:34:27] retired that we named, I think,

[1:34:31] one of the first wind farms

[1:34:32] that was built in the altamont

[1:34:36] pass area after scott haggerty.

[1:34:39] I think a fitting tribute to

[1:34:40] not just the impact he had in

[1:34:43] creating the agency and

[1:34:44] creating energy independence in

[1:34:46] alameda county, but his

[1:34:48] commitment towards addressing

[1:34:50] climate change. He was a giant

[1:34:57] in alameda county, in the bay

[1:34:58] area, and he cared about his

[1:35:00] constituents first and foremost.

[1:35:02] but he was somebody who was a

[1:35:03] true regionalist and recognized

[1:35:05] that the issues that impact

[1:35:07] alameda county impact every

[1:35:09] community in the bay area and

[1:35:11] brought that lens to his

[1:35:12] leadership at the regional

[1:35:14] level. In his six terms on the

[1:35:18] alameda county board of

[1:35:20] supervisors, he earned a

[1:35:21] reputation as a collaborative

[1:35:22] leader who brought people

[1:35:24] together to tackle some of our

[1:35:25] region's most pressing

[1:35:26] challenges, such as

[1:35:28] transportation, housing,

[1:35:29] economic development, and

[1:35:31] environmental stewardship. And

[1:35:33] I had the honor of working with

[1:35:34] him on so many regional issues,

[1:35:37] not only on the association of

[1:35:40] governments, but when he served

[1:35:40] as the chair of the

[1:35:42] metropolitan transportation

[1:35:43] commission, we worked very

[1:35:44] closely together on the

[1:35:46] creation of our regional

[1:35:48] transportation plan and the

[1:35:49] creation of the bay area

[1:35:50] housing finance authority.

[1:35:52] scott's legacy can be defined

[1:35:55] not just in the relationships

[1:35:56] he had with people, but so many

[1:35:59] significant transportation

[1:36:01] projects and regional

[1:36:02] initiatives that ³

[1:36:04] in his many years, as well as

[1:36:07] efforts to help provide

[1:36:09] sustainable funding for

[1:36:10] transportation such as the

[1:36:11] passage of measure b, the

[1:36:12] regional sales tax to fund

[1:36:14] transit in alameda county. In

[1:36:16] addition, extending bart to

[1:36:18] santa clara county, the oakland

[1:36:19] san francisco airport

[1:36:21] connection, the expansion of

[1:36:23] the caldecott tunnel, the

[1:36:25] salesforce transbay transit

[1:36:27] center and soon valley link are

[1:36:29] testaments to his incredible

[1:36:31] leadership. One thing also

[1:36:34] about scott is he was in his

[1:36:37] 30s when he was first elected

[1:36:38] to the alameda county board of

[1:36:40] supervisors and was kind of a

[1:36:43] maverick, and he really

[1:36:44] committed his time in office to

[1:36:47] mentor young people and mentor

[1:36:49] the next generation of leaders.

[1:36:51] and I think there's so many

[1:36:52] people who serve in elected

[1:36:54] office in the bay area who were

[1:36:56] mentored and supported and

[1:36:58] shaped by the leadership of

[1:36:59] scott haggerty. In closing, it

[1:37:01] was an honor to work with him,

[1:37:03] to consider him a friend and

[1:37:04] mentor. May we honor his memory

[1:37:07] by carrying forward his

[1:37:08] commitment to building a bay

[1:37:10] area and state that is more

[1:37:12] connected, more equitable, and

[1:37:14] more collaborative. I want to

[1:37:17] extend my deepest condolences

[1:37:18] to his family and friends and

[1:37:20] colleagues, and also ask that

[1:37:22] we adjourn the senate in his

[1:37:23] honor today. Senator wiener,

[1:37:24] you are recognized. Thank you,

[1:37:30] mr. President. I, too, had the

[1:37:32] honor of serving with scott

[1:37:35] haggerty for six years on the

[1:37:38] metropolitan transportation

[1:37:40] commission. I joined the mtc

[1:37:42] just a few months after I was

[1:37:45] sworn in as a new member of the

[1:37:47] board of supervisors. So I was

[1:37:48] very green, very new, and I

[1:37:51] knew that there were certain

[1:37:54] members of that commission who

[1:37:56] had truly been around the block

[1:37:59] and knew what they were doing.

[1:38:00] the senator from san jose was

[1:38:02] one of them, and scott haggerty

[1:38:04] was another, and he was someone.

[1:38:08] if you look at just the facts

[1:38:10] on paper, he and I should have

[1:38:11] had really nothing in common.

[1:38:13] he was this, you know, former

[1:38:16] republican, middle of the road

[1:38:18] to maybe a little bit

[1:38:19] conservative guy from a very

[1:38:22] suburban to rural part of

[1:38:25] alameda county. I was this

[1:38:27] lefty guy from san francisco

[1:38:31] who wanted to fund fund the

[1:38:34] heck out of transit and bikes

[1:38:38] and, and pedestrian spaces and

[1:38:41] so forth. We're just very, very

[1:38:43] different. But scott and I

[1:38:45] actually became quite close,

[1:38:47] and he pulled me in and helped

[1:38:49] to elevate me as a new

[1:38:53] commissioner on the commission.

[1:38:54] he he was a true regionalist.

[1:38:57] he understood that when san

[1:39:00] francisco succeeded, the east

[1:39:02] bay succeeded, and vice versa.

[1:39:05] and he wanted to make sure that

[1:39:08] all parts of the region were

[1:39:09] getting what we needed in terms

[1:39:11] of investment and support. And

[1:39:12] so I worked very, very well

[1:39:15] with him over those six years.

[1:39:18] after coming to the senate, I

[1:39:20] always looked forward when he

[1:39:21] would be up lobbying around

[1:39:23] transportation issues in the in

[1:39:25] the legislature. And it's just

[1:39:28] really just so depressing that

[1:39:31] he has gone. I know he had a a

[1:39:34] lot ahead of him and was

[1:39:36] looking forward to it. And it's

[1:39:37] a real tragedy. And I just want

[1:39:39] to express my deepest

[1:39:41] condolences to his family and

[1:39:43] his community. Thank you. Thank

[1:39:45] you so very much. Senator

[1:39:47] mcnerney, if you'll bring the

[1:39:49] name of your adjournment memory

[1:39:50] to the desk to be properly

[1:39:52] memorialized, we appreciate

[1:39:53] that. Our condolences to you,

[1:39:56] senator ashby, you are

[1:39:57] recognized for your adjournment

[1:39:58] memory. Thank you very much,

[1:40:01] mr. Presiding officer. I rise

[1:40:04] today to adjourn in the memory

[1:40:07] of a beloved and incredible

[1:40:11] sacramento hero named jonathan

[1:40:13] burgess. He passed away on may

[1:40:16] 11th at the age of 52 after a

[1:40:19] four year battle with als.

[1:40:22] jonathan is a south sacramento

[1:40:24] native and he served for more

[1:40:26] than 30 years, well over half

[1:40:28] of his life with the sacramento

[1:40:31] fire department, ended his

[1:40:33] career at the rank of battalion

[1:40:35] chief. In addition to his

[1:40:37] service with the fire

[1:40:39] department, jonathan co-founded

[1:40:41] the restaurant burgess brothers

[1:40:44] barbecue and burgers with his

[1:40:46] equally dynamic twin brother,

[1:40:49] matthew, who, by the way, this

[1:40:51] twin is a member of the

[1:40:53] sacramento police department.

[1:40:55] these two brothers are beloved

[1:40:58] across the city of sacramento.

[1:41:00] in addition to being a

[1:41:02] firefighter and a business

[1:41:03] owner, jonathan was a powerful

[1:41:07] advocate for reparations for

[1:41:09] the black community. He

[1:41:11] testified before the california

[1:41:13] reparations task force in 2021

[1:41:16] and worked to have his family's

[1:41:18] legacy restored after the state

[1:41:21] took his ancestor's land in

[1:41:23] coloma by way of eminent domain.

[1:41:27] he also published a children's

[1:41:28] book that documented his

[1:41:30] family's history as one of the

[1:41:32] earliest black settlers in the

[1:41:35] coloma region. Jonathan will be

[1:41:38] remembered as a fierce

[1:41:40] protector of justice for his

[1:41:42] acts of service, his humor and

[1:41:45] his radiant smile. Several of

[1:41:49] jonathan's friends and family

[1:41:50] join us in the gallery today,

[1:41:53] including his wife lauren, his

[1:41:55] daughters justice and jordan.

[1:41:58] his twin brother matthew, his

[1:42:00] sister tonya, many of his

[1:42:02] friends and colleagues from the

[1:42:04] sacramento fire service,

[1:42:06] including local 522 president

[1:42:08] trevor jamison. Members, please

[1:42:11] join me in adjourning in the

[1:42:13] memory of a true sacramento

[1:42:16] hero. Senator neal, you're

[1:42:18] recognized on this adjournment

[1:42:20] memory. Thank you, mr.

[1:42:21] president. I rise to join my

[1:42:25] sacramento colleague in

[1:42:27] recognizing jonathan burgess. I

[1:42:29] did not know jonathan well, but

[1:42:31] I know jonathan's reputation

[1:42:34] well. One cannot avoid that.

[1:42:38] and at age 52, that is way, way

[1:42:43] too early. And my deepest

[1:42:46] sympathies go to his family

[1:42:48] members who are here today.

[1:42:52] thank you. Senator, if you'll

[1:42:53] bring your name of your

[1:42:54] adjournment memory to the desk

[1:42:55] for proper to be properly

[1:42:58] memorialized, senator mcguire

[1:43:00] mcguire, you are recognized for

[1:43:01] your adjournment memory. Thank

[1:43:03] you so much, mr. President. And

[1:43:05] members, colleagues, I rise

[1:43:06] today in honor of the life and

[1:43:08] legacy of a remarkable public

[1:43:09] servant, marin county's chief

[1:43:11] probation officer, chief marlon

[1:43:14] washington. Chief washington

[1:43:16] began his nearly three decade

[1:43:18] long career in law enforcement,

[1:43:21] helping young people in the

[1:43:23] juvenile justice system, first

[1:43:25] in napa county and then in

[1:43:27] contra costa. And then in 2020,

[1:43:30] the chief made history. He

[1:43:33] became marin county's first

[1:43:34] african american chief of

[1:43:36] probation, serving as only just

[1:43:39] three american african american

[1:43:41] chief probation officers in

[1:43:43] california at the time. And

[1:43:45] this is an achievement that he

[1:43:46] was so incredibly proud of. For

[1:43:49] six years, he led more than 120

[1:43:52] employees working hard every

[1:43:53] day, mr. President, to build a

[1:43:56] department grounded in

[1:43:58] rehabilitation, accountability,

[1:43:59] and the belief that anyone and

[1:44:03] everyone deserves a chance at a

[1:44:06] better future. During that time,

[1:44:08] chief washington championed the

[1:44:10] clean slate program, helping

[1:44:12] those who completed probation

[1:44:14] to be able to get a new start

[1:44:16] on life. He took immense pride

[1:44:19] in the career explorers program,

[1:44:21] which introduced people from

[1:44:22] challenging backgrounds to

[1:44:24] careers in public service. He

[1:44:26] also worked to make the justice

[1:44:28] system more equitable and

[1:44:30] improve outcomes for young

[1:44:32] people, but in particular,

[1:44:34] young people of color, because

[1:44:37] that was one of his core

[1:44:39] beliefs that we can make our

[1:44:40] community safer while also

[1:44:42] helping transform lives. The

[1:44:45] chief understood that public

[1:44:47] safety wasn't just responding

[1:44:49] to a 911 call or going to a

[1:44:53] crime. It was about upstream

[1:44:55] investing, investment in

[1:44:57] preventing it, giving young

[1:44:58] people hope and hoping families

[1:45:01] will be able to find a path

[1:45:03] forward. And he also knew that

[1:45:05] leadership meant lifting up his

[1:45:07] community. He showed up every

[1:45:09] day fighting for his department,

[1:45:12] fighting for the people and the

[1:45:13] families that he served, and

[1:45:16] fighting for the communities

[1:45:17] that he proudly represented.

[1:45:19] his colleagues knew him for his

[1:45:20] quiet strength, genuine spirit,

[1:45:24] and visionary leadership. He

[1:45:26] believed in people. He

[1:45:28] instilled confidence in those

[1:45:29] around him, and he changed

[1:45:31] lives every day. He showed up

[1:45:33] in the office, and that's the

[1:45:36] public servant that we should

[1:45:37] all want. And that's what the

[1:45:39] chief dedicated his life to,

[1:45:41] and that is the legacy that he

[1:45:43] leaves behind and the people he

[1:45:45] mentored, the lives he touched

[1:45:47] and the communities that he

[1:45:49] served so faithfully. On behalf

[1:45:51] of the california state senate,

[1:45:53] I would ask that we keep the

[1:45:54] washington family and the marin

[1:45:56] county probation department in

[1:45:58] our prayers, and I appreciate

[1:45:59] the opportunity to be able to

[1:46:01] adjourn in the chief's memory.

[1:46:02] senator, we extend our

[1:46:04] condolences. Please bring the

[1:46:04] name of your adjournment memory

[1:46:06] to the desk to be properly

[1:46:08] memorialized. Senator hurtado,

[1:46:09] you are recognized for your

[1:46:11] adjournment and memory. Thank

[1:46:12] you, mr. President. Today I

[1:46:15] rise to honor the life and

[1:46:16] legacy of a remarkable man.

[1:46:19] doctor koinos lnx junior, a

[1:46:22] gifted cardiac surgeon, a

[1:46:24] visionary, visionary leader,

[1:46:26] and a dear partner in our

[1:46:27] shared mission to make

[1:46:28] healthcare more equitable. For

[1:46:30] every californian, I had the

[1:46:33] privilege of working closely

[1:46:34] with doctor x on one of the

[1:46:37] initiatives he cared about most

[1:46:38] the california medicine

[1:46:40] scholars program. Together, we

[1:46:42] secured its initial funding in

[1:46:43] the 2021 state budget, creating

[1:46:46] new pathways for community

[1:46:48] college students to pursue

[1:46:50] careers in medicine. It was a

[1:46:52] two year fight. Doctor x

[1:46:55] believed that a student's

[1:46:57] background should never

[1:46:58] determine their future, and he

[1:46:59] dedicated his life to making

[1:47:01] that belief a reality. His

[1:47:05] vision reached far beyond

[1:47:07] california. Working alongside

[1:47:09] congresswoman barbara lee, he

[1:47:10] helped inspired the national

[1:47:12] medical corps act. Driven by a

[1:47:15] simple but powerful belief that

[1:47:17] every community deserves

[1:47:20] doctors who understand the

[1:47:22] people they serve. The

[1:47:25] commitment to service defined

[1:47:26] his life as a cardiac surgeon.

[1:47:29] doctor x cared for patients

[1:47:31] across the bay area, bringing

[1:47:32] compassion and excellence to

[1:47:34] every operating room. Inspired

[1:47:37] by his father, civil rights

[1:47:39] attorney, alex senior, he

[1:47:42] carried forward a lifelong

[1:47:43] commitment to justice not in

[1:47:46] the courtroom, but through

[1:47:48] medicine, education and

[1:47:50] opportunity. One of the

[1:47:52] defining moments of his life

[1:47:53] came in 1973, when he responded

[1:47:56] to the tragic assassination of

[1:47:58] oakland superintendent doctor

[1:48:01] marcus foster. Although he was

[1:48:03] forced to pronounce doctor

[1:48:05] foster's passing, he saved the

[1:48:06] life of deputy superintendent

[1:48:08] doctor bob blackburn. That

[1:48:11] experience inspired more than

[1:48:12] two decades of service with the

[1:48:14] marcus foster education

[1:48:16] institute, helping create

[1:48:18] educational opportunities for

[1:48:20] future generations. Above all,

[1:48:23] doctor annex was a devoted

[1:48:25] father, grandfather, mentor and

[1:48:28] friend. His legacy is measured

[1:48:30] not only by the lives he saved

[1:48:32] as a surgeon, but by the doors

[1:48:35] he opened for countless others

[1:48:38] who now have the opportunity to

[1:48:40] follow in his footsteps. I'm

[1:48:43] grateful to have known him, to

[1:48:45] have worked alongside him, and

[1:48:47] to have witnessed firsthand his

[1:48:50] unwavering commitment to

[1:48:51] building a more just and

[1:48:53] compassionate health care

[1:48:55] system. May we honor his memory

[1:48:57] by carrying forward the work he

[1:49:00] cared so deeply about, and by

[1:49:02] continuing to create

[1:49:04] opportunities for those who

[1:49:05] will follow in his footsteps.

[1:49:08] members, please join me today

[1:49:09] in adjourning in the member in

[1:49:10] the memory of doctor coignet

[1:49:13] lnx junior senator, our

[1:49:17] sincerest condolences and you

[1:49:18] are also recognized for your

[1:49:20] additional adjournment memory.

[1:49:26] thank you. Today I rise to

[1:49:27] honor the life and memory of

[1:49:29] yolanda yoli rojo, a remarkable

[1:49:32] woman from bakersfield whose

[1:49:33] love for her family and her

[1:49:35] community will never be

[1:49:36] forgotten. Yolanda's story

[1:49:38] began on october 6th, 1995, in

[1:49:41] bakersfield, where she was born

[1:49:42] and raised. From a young age,

[1:49:45] those around her saw someone

[1:49:46] who led with both determination

[1:49:49] and heart. Her years in

[1:49:51] catholic school helped shaped

[1:49:52] her deep sense of faith and

[1:49:55] compassion while her. While on

[1:49:57] her time on the volleyball

[1:49:59] court and the track field

[1:50:00] taught her the value of

[1:50:02] perseverance, discipline and

[1:50:03] how to lift those around her.

[1:50:08] but if you ask those who knew

[1:50:10] yolanda what defined her most,

[1:50:12] they wouldn't begin with her

[1:50:14] accomplishments. They would

[1:50:15] tell you about the way she made

[1:50:18] people feel. They would tell

[1:50:20] you that family was her

[1:50:22] greatest purpose. As the oldest

[1:50:25] sister, yolanda naturally

[1:50:26] stepped into the role of

[1:50:28] protector, confidant and steady

[1:50:30] source of strength. She was a

[1:50:33] person everyone could count on,

[1:50:35] the one who brought people

[1:50:37] together, who filled every room

[1:50:40] with laughter, and who made her

[1:50:42] home a place where everyone

[1:50:44] felt welcomed, supported, and

[1:50:46] loved. Her greatest pride,

[1:50:50] however, was being a mother.

[1:50:53] everything she did revolved

[1:50:54] around her two beautiful

[1:50:56] daughters, whether she was

[1:50:58] cheering them on at a dance

[1:51:00] competition, traveling for

[1:51:02] cheer events, or celebrating

[1:51:03] them on the golf course, or

[1:51:06] simply encouraging them to

[1:51:07] chase every dream they had.

[1:51:09] your orlando was always their

[1:51:11] biggest fan. She didn't just

[1:51:13] tell her daughters they could

[1:51:15] accomplish anything. She showed

[1:51:17] them every day what

[1:51:18] unconditional love, sacrifice,

[1:51:20] and devotion looked like.

[1:51:23] although yolanda's life was

[1:51:25] tragically cut short on march

[1:51:27] 25th, 2026, the measure of a

[1:51:30] life is not found in its length,

[1:51:32] but in the love it leaves

[1:51:34] behind. By that measure,

[1:51:36] yolanda lived an extraordinary

[1:51:38] life. Her kindness, generosity,

[1:51:41] and unwavering love continue to

[1:51:42] live on through her daughters,

[1:51:44] her family, and the countless

[1:51:46] friends and neighbors whose

[1:51:47] lives are better because they

[1:51:49] knew her. Today, we remember

[1:51:52] not only the life that was lost,

[1:51:54] but the love that remains. We

[1:51:56] honor a devoted mother, a

[1:51:58] cherished daughter and sister,

[1:52:00] a loyal friend, and a woman

[1:52:02] whose legacy will continue to

[1:52:05] inspire all who carry her

[1:52:07] memory forward. Yolanda rojo is

[1:52:10] survived by her two beloved

[1:52:12] daughters and her loving family.

[1:52:14] mr. President members, please

[1:52:15] join me in a journey today in

[1:52:17] the memory of yolanda yoly rojo.

[1:52:20] thank you senator. Our

[1:52:22] condolences. Please bring the

[1:52:23] names of your adjournments in

[1:52:24] memory to the desk to be

[1:52:26] properly memorialized. Thank

[1:52:27] you, senator nilo. You are

[1:52:29] recognized for your adjournment

[1:52:30] in memory. Thank you, mr.

[1:52:32] president. I rise to pay

[1:52:34] tribute to the life and memory

[1:52:37] of john m mike holmes, who died

[1:52:42] on june 27th of this year at

[1:52:44] the age of 86. He was a

[1:52:49] distinguished californian and

[1:52:51] devoted auburn city council

[1:52:53] member and mayor, and a

[1:52:56] longtime very good friend of

[1:52:58] mine. Mike served in the united

[1:53:02] states navy with distinction,

[1:53:05] retiring as a captain after a

[1:53:07] career that included

[1:53:08] deployments to vietnam and

[1:53:11] taiwan and earning numerous

[1:53:13] honors, including the legion of

[1:53:15] merit award, the bronze star

[1:53:17] and the meritorious service

[1:53:20] medal. As a civilian, he was a

[1:53:25] dedicated advocate for

[1:53:26] protecting auburn's history,

[1:53:29] character and future. He

[1:53:32] continued a life of service

[1:53:34] following his military career.

[1:53:35] through his professional work

[1:53:38] and extensive civic involvement,

[1:53:41] including through his work on

[1:53:42] the auburn city council, to

[1:53:44] which he was elected in 2002,

[1:53:49] 2006, 2010, and again 2022. In

[1:53:55] addition to serving as mayor in

[1:53:57] zero five and zero eight. And I

[1:53:59] would point out that between

[1:54:03] 2010 and when he was reelected

[1:54:05] in 22, coincided with my

[1:54:09] absence from the legislature.

[1:54:11] and when he was first reelected

[1:54:14] and I was elected to the senate,

[1:54:16] he made a point to come and

[1:54:18] visit with me in my district

[1:54:20] office. He was a very

[1:54:22] thoughtful guy. Mike's

[1:54:24] commitment to auburn extended

[1:54:26] well beyond city hall through

[1:54:28] his involvement in numerous

[1:54:30] community organizations and

[1:54:32] service initiatives, he leaves

[1:54:37] to mourn his passing and

[1:54:39] celebrate his legacy to a host

[1:54:41] of devoted family members and

[1:54:44] friends, including jim holmes,

[1:54:47] carol hennig, and harry holmes.

[1:54:51] so please join me in closing

[1:54:54] today's session in the memory

[1:54:57] of a dedicated friend of auburn

[1:55:00] and our region, mike holmes.

[1:55:05] senator, please bring the name

[1:55:06] of your adjournment memory to

[1:55:08] the desk to be properly

[1:55:09] memorialized. Our sincere

[1:55:10] condolences. If there is no

[1:55:13] other business majority leader

[1:55:15] ashby, the desk is clear. Thank

[1:55:17] you, mr. President. And thank

[1:55:19] you to my senate colleagues for

[1:55:22] getting through the first week

[1:55:24] back. We have much work ahead

[1:55:26] of us. In the month of august.

[1:55:28] we will adjourn today's session,

[1:55:30] and the next floor session will

[1:55:32] be scheduled for monday, august

[1:55:35] 10th at 2 p.m. The senate will

[1:55:38] be in recess until 3:30 p.m. At

[1:55:41] which time the adjournment

[1:55:42] motion will be made. We will

[1:55:44] reconvene monday, august 10th,

[1:55:46] 2026 at 2 p.m. Have a good

[1:55:50] weekend, senators.

Senate Floor Session

Transcript